Power Five Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #671 Wednesday 10* Top Play Georgia Bulldogs (+) vs Ole Miss Rebels @ 7 ET - The Bulldogs just got hammered in their season finale against LSU but Georgia actually had 10 more field goal attempts than the Tigers and yet lost the game by 30 points. It was simply "one of those games" and is now giving us some line value here as a result. This is a revenge game for the Bulldogs as they have lost 3 straight meetings with Ole Miss. What better time for payback than the SEC tourney? Georgia finished the regular season with back to back losses to Florida and LSU but this was preceded by a 3-1 stretch in which they only loss the Bulldogs had was in overtime! The Rebels enter this game off a disheartening blowout loss to Mississippi State as those Bulldogs are their biggest rivals. That was the 5th straight loss for the Rebels in games played away from Ole Miss. The Rebels have allowed 73.2 points per game their last 5 games. The Bulldogs have averaged scoring 75.2 points per game in regulation of their last 6 road games prior to the ugly season-ending loss at LSU. The Dawgs were ultra-competitive in all those road games and the last five included an outright win and an OT loss. They get over the hump again here in a revenge game against a Rebels team getting a little too much respect from the betting markets in this one. The Bulldogs average 10.5 points per game more than the Rebels in comparing games played away from home this season for these two SEC foes. 10* GEORGIA

Tourney Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #616 Tuesday 10* Top Play Northern Kentucky Norse (-) vs Illinois-Chicago Flames @ 7 ET - The Norse had a long layoff before yesterday's game and actually were playing just their 2nd game in a span of over 2 weeks! It showed as they struggled in the first half against Wisconsin-Green Bay. Once Northern Kentucky worked off the rust in the first half, they were a different team in the second half. The Norse rolled to a huge win over the Phoenix and will carry that momentum right into the Championship Game today. Northern Kentucky exploded for 51 points in the 2nd half of their win over UWGB yesterday. They catch Illinois-Chicago at the perfect time for a rout. The Flames got the upset win over Wright State yesterday. Certainly the Flames deserve credit for that and for playing a strong game against the Raiders. However, now UIC faces a Norse team which they blasted by 30 points at Northern Kentucky a little over 3 weeks ago. Keep in mind the Norse went 13-5 in Horizon action this season while Illinois-Chicago went 10-8. Northern Kentucky enters this game on a 13-3 SU run. UIC has also been playing well but the Norse are the better team and playing with revenge and I like the value with this line coming down from a -5 to a -4 here. We'll take it! 10* NORTHERN KENTUCKY

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Monday 10* Top Play Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens vs Hofstra Pride @ 6 ET - Hofstra knocked Delaware out of the CAA Tourney last season. It is payback time here for the Fightin' Blue Hens. These teams met twice in the regular season and split the series. In the game in which Delaware won, leading scorer Nate Darling scored just 13 points! That is bad news for Hofstra as he made 5 of 8 three pointers in yesterday's win over College of Charleston and scored 25 points. If he is "on" again today and the rest of the Fightin Blue Hens play like they did in the first victory over the Pride this season, this one will be an upset by at least a half dozen points in my opinion. I like the fact Darling will be playing with a ton of confidence here because he is a big-time scorer when he is hot and he'll be tough for the Pride to slow down. I know Hofstra has been hot but the Fightin' Blue Hens had played them very well for 4 straight halves before a horrible 2nd half in the most recent meeting. Prior to that Delaware had outscored the Pride by 10 points over the 4 prior halves dating back to the 2nd half of last season's match-up in the CAA Tourney. I feel we've got great underdog value here with a very determined and confident Fightin' Blue Hens team that is poised for revenge here. 10* DELAWARE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Sunday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Michigan State Spartans @ 4:30 ET - Both teams are red hot. Give me the points in a spot like this! The Buckeyes have won 9 of their last 11 games and are playing this game with revenge. The Spartans have won each of the last 3 meetings including knocking Ohio State out of the Big Ten tourney last spring. Michigan State does enter this game having won 4 straight. However, this was preceded by a tough 1-4 stretch for the Spartans. As for the Buckeyes, they started the season 11-1 and then hit one rough patch mid-season but are now wrapping up the regular season on a 9-2 run. Ohio State has been a streaky team this season as you can see and I look for that to continue here and am happy to have the 7 points on my side in this one. Look for it to be tough for Michigan State to pull away in this one. The Spartans have had struggles in tight late-game situations this season just like the collapse at home against Maryland three weeks ago. Michigan State is off back to back covers but this was preceded by a 1-6 ATS stretch and they are over-valued here by the betting markets. Upset alert here and, if the Buckeyes do fall short, I expect it to be by only a bucket or two. 10* OHIO STATE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #646 Saturday 8* Virginia Cavaliers (-) vs Louisville Cardinals @ 4 ET - Great set-up here. The Cardinals are still going for the ACC title and Virginia has revenge on its mind plus a chance to play spoiler. It is also senior day and the Cavaliers will pull together to send off guys like starters Mamadi Diakite and Braxton Key with a big win! The Cavs lost at Louisville last month but Virginia actually was a perfect 9-0 the last 9 games in this series prior to that defeat. Also, since losing to the Cardinals, the Cavaliers have won 7 straight games while the Cards have gone just 3-3 SU including 3 straight road losses. The last two road defeats for Louisville each came by 15 points! This is another tough road match-up for the Cardinals and Malik Williams ankle injury (he is doubtful for this game) is not helping matters. On the season Louisville is just 7-5 SU on the road while the Cavaliers are 13-3 SU on the road. Of course this game is around a pick'em even though the Cavs are at home because the Cards are the higher-ranked team and many public backers will be liking the Cardinals in this spot. The sharp money, in my opinion, will be on a surging and motivated Cavaliers team. 8* VIRGINIA

Game of the Year - Rickenbach NCAAB Rotation #601 Saturday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ Noon ET - Huge coaching edge for the Wildcats here with Jay Wright over Georgetown's Patrick Ewing. However, the Hoyas had a rare "step up" game the last time Villanova visited DC and Georgetown won by a dozen points. Note that Hoyas wins in this series have been quite rare of late (Villanova beat them at home earlier this season) and now it is payback time for the Wildcats on this floor. As noted above, the Cats beat them in Philly earlier this season but the loss on this floor last season ended a streak of 9 straight wins for Nova in this series. When a team that has dominated a series like this loses on that opponent's floor they don't forget it about the very next time they visit. Villanova remembers the last time they stepped on this floor they were a ranked team that got upset by these Hoyas. They absolutely don't want a repeat of that here in what is their first trip to Georgetown since that meeting. Situations don't get much better than this. The Wildcats have road payback on their minds and they also are motivated by still having a shot at the regular season title for the Big East. With a win here and a Seton Hall loss at Creighton, the Wildcats would share the Big East title with the Bluejays and Pirates. Adding to the value here is that both Mac MacClung and Amer Yurtseven are listed as doubtful in this game. MacClung is Georgetown's leading scorer and Yurtseven is also a key player. I really don't expect the Hoyas to "force the issue" with those two guys as the smarter move would be to rest them in hopes of a return for the Big East tournament. That said, the Wildcats offer a lot of value here in a game which, though they on the road, they can still easily win by double digits. This game has road payback, motivation, health, coaching, all in favor of a road team that is favored by single digits! I'll take it! The Hoyas have lost 5 straight games and the only two closer losses were by 3 versus Xavier and 6 at DePaul. Villanova has won 6 of 7 and just won at Xavier by 9 and at DePaul by 20. So compare how those teams have performed recently against the same opponents. Yes, big difference between the level of these two programs and all the right ingredients are there to step up LARGE with this one. 10* VILLANOVA

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #664 Thursday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) vs Illinois Illini @ 7 ET - Yes the Illini have been hot but they faced some weak competition too. Now Illinois faces a real test and Ohio State is well aware that they can play the role of spoiler here in terms of running the Big Ten regular season title hopes of the Illini. The Buckeyes don't even need that extra motivation either. Why? Because Ohio State lost outright at home to Illinois as nearly a double digit favorite in the teams most recent meeting which was last February. Finally the Buckeyes get their shot at payback here. Not only was that upset unlikely, note that another upset here is just as unlikely. Ohio State is 13-2 SU at home while Illinois is just 6-6 SU on the road. That said, I'll lay the half dozen points here with the Buckeyes. Two of the last 3 wins for the Illini came against Northwestern and Nebraska. The Wildcats and Cornhuskers are a combined 4-33 in Big Ten games this season. Give Illinois credit for recent wins versus Indiana and Penn State but the win over the Hoosiers came at home while the win over the Nittany Lions was a case of catching a flat opponent at the right time. The Buckeyes, most definitely, will not be flat here. Payback time here. 10* OHIO STATE

Tourney Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #701 Thursday 8* Boise State Broncos @ UNLV Rebels @ 5 ET - This is a Mountain West tournament game but is a home game for the Rebels since they are the host team for this tourney. However, I am happy to back the revenging road dog in this one. For one thing, the injury to Elijah Mitrou-Long is a concern for the Rebels. However, more importantly is that Boise State just lost here about a week ago. In that game the Broncos shot a ridiculous 31% from the field! That is why Boise State lost despite having 9 more field goal attempts in the game. It is tough to beat a team twice in a span of a week unless you have a decided edge. The Rebels don't really have any edge whatsoever in this match-up and Elijah Mitrou-Long is questionable for this one with a knee injury. The Broncos, prior to losing at UNLV, had won 8 of 10 games and the only two losses were versus top tier opponents. As for the Rebels, they have won 5 straight games but that was preceded by a 1-5 stretch in which the only win came by a single point. UNLV gets brought back down to earth in a hurry here after their surprising 5-0 SU run to end the season. Revenge time here. 8* BOISE STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (+) @ Seton Hall Pirates @ 8:30 ET - The Wildcats are off a loss but very well could have been caught looking ahead to this game as the Pirates handed Villanova a rare home loss in their earlier meeting this season. Ironically, Seton Hall also has a revenge game on deck as their Big East regular season finale is at Creighton and the Blue Jays handed them a rare home loss. In my eyes the set up here is ideal for a road upset and I'll gladly grab the points with Nova. The Cats are 5-1 SU and ATS in their last 6 road games and the lone loss came by just 3 points at Butler. The Pirates have covered just ONCE in their past SIX home games! Seton Hall is the higher ranked team in this match-up and they are at home but Villanova comes into this game fighting mad and playing with home loss revenge. Look for the Wildcats to send the Pirates to their 3rd SU home loss in their last 5 games as a host but I am grabbing the points as added insurance in this one. The Cats did knock the Pirates out of the Big East tourney last year but Nova has the home revenge here from this season plus also lost their visit to Seton Hall last season. It is payback time here and I like backing the Wildcats off a loss in which they scored only 54 points! 10* VILLANOVA

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #813 Wednesday 8* Air Force Falcons (+) vs Fresno State Bulldogs in MWC Tournament in Vegas @ 3 ET - The Bulldogs won both match-ups with the Falcons this season and won each game by 9 or more points. The line on this neutral site game opened up at a -4. Do you think the odds makers are stupid? I have stated this time and time again and, of course, anything can happen in any given game but, the point is that this line was set this way for a reason. Of course the markets are jumping all over Fresno State already and the line will likely climb even higher than it's current number of 5.5 but, folks, in typical contrarian fashion I am backing Air Force here. The Falcons have struggled badly at the betting window but getting 2 SU wins in their last 5 games has given them a boost of confidence heading into this match-up. Also, a big key here is that they got thoroughly embarrassed here by the Bulldogs 76-50 in last year's Mountain West tourney. It is payback time here and an outright upset would not surprise me but I am grabbing the points for added insurance. 8* AIR FORCE

Big Ten Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #621 Tuesday 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (-) @ Penn State Nittany Lions @ 7 ET - The road team has covered each of the last 3 meetings between these teams. That includes the Nittany Lions winning at Michigan State early last month. That means it is revenge time for the Spartans and the timing is perfect. While Penn State has lost 3 of 4 games SU and is on an 0-4 ATS run, Michigan State enters this game having won 3 in a row SU. The line on this game is as low as a -1 early this morning and I am taking advantage of grabbing the revenge-minded Spartans in this one. Michigan State was sloppy with the ball in the first meeting and lost the game by 5 points largely due to losing the turnover battle 15-9. I like what I have seen from the Spartans over the past two weeks while the Nittany Lions are showing signs of wilting under the late season pressure. Of course we get line value here because this game is at State College where Penn State has been so strong this season. The fact is that the Nittany Lions last two home games saw them lose outright to Illinois and barely sneak out a 1-point win over Rutgers. Now PSU faces a much tougher challenge here and I look for the Spartans to turn this one into a road rout. 10* MICHIGAN STATE

Afternoon TV Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #821 Sunday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (-) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 2 ET - The Musketeers are the much better team. Even though Naji Marshall is on the injury report he has been upgraded to probable. Conversely, the Hoyas Omar Yurtseven and Mac MacClung are both listed as questionable for this one. Keep in mind, Georgetown has lost 3 straight games and also is just 1-4 SU in its last 5 home games. Xavier brings momentum into this game after a home win versus DePaul in their most recent game. The Musketeers are now 5-2 SU (and 6-1 ATS) their last 7 games and clearly this is a case of two teams heading opposite directions as the regular season winds down. Xavier has dominated this series but did lose their last visit to Georgetown. Look for the Musketeers to make up for that here as they continue their surge and send the Hoyas to a 4th straight loss. The road team also holds the coaching edge in this match-up and that is not a factor to overlook especially in the case of a game with a line near pick'em. 10* XAVIER

MWC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #700 Saturday 10* Top Play San Jose State Spartans (+) vs UNLV Rebels @ 5 ET - Perfect set up here. Home finale for San Jose State to wrap up another disappointing season. UNLV enters this road game having won 4 straight games. However, the key here is where this game is being played. The Spartans are much more competitive on their home floor than on the road. San Jose State has had only 4 home games since mid-January. Though only 1-3 SU in those 4 games, 2 of the 3 losses came by 6 or less points. Don't be surprised when San Jose State keeps this game much closer than many are expecting and they could even get the outright upset. The Rebels have won 4 straight games but only one (San Diego State) was truly shocking. The other 3 games all had tight low lines and could have gone either way. Now, on the road for this one and considering that the Rebels are just 4-8 SU on the road this season, there is really no justification for UNLV being a double digit favorite in this one. The line opened up at an 8.5 and moved to as high as a 10 and I am stepping in on the other side of the move and going with the "ugly home dog" theory in this one. Especially being the last game of the regular season, look for the Spartans to go all out here and keep this game much closer than many are expecting. 10* SAN JOSE STATE

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #607 Saturday 8* Providence Friars (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ Noon ET - The Friars have plenty of motivation here as they have lost 5 straight games against the Wildcats. This includes getting knocked out of the Big East tourney by Villanova each of the last two years. Providence eyes payback here as they also lost at home to the Cats earlier this season. The Friars could be catching Nova at the ideal time. One of the Wildcats best players, Connor Gillespie, is questionable with a thigh injury here. 3 of the last 6 meetings between these teams have been decided by 6 or less points. Villanova does enter this game on a 5-game winning streak but that was preceded by a 3-game losing streak which was capped off by a home loss to Seton Hall. What does that have to do with this game? The Wildcats next game is at Seton Hall! This is a lookahead spot for Villanova. The Friars enter this game off 3 straight wins and having won 5 of their last 7 games. The timing is perfect and the road team is the more motivated team and playing some of their best basketball of the season. Give me the points! 8* PROVIDENCE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #875 Friday 10* Top Play Kent State Golden Flashes (+) @ Ohio University Bobcats @ 6:30 ET - The Golden Flashes are a perfect 2-0 SU and ATS the last two times they have been a road dog. However, their two most recent road games saw them first lose a tight one as a small favorite and then get blasted by 21 points as a small favorite at Eastern Michigan. After that embarrassing losses, the Golden Flashes have had their next road game circled blood red as a chance to redeem themselves. Riding the momentum of a home win versus Miami-Ohio, Kent State now will continue their series dominance against the Bobcats. The Golden Flashes are 6-1 SU in their last 7 meetings with Ohio University. The Bobcats are off a big home win versus Buffalo but are 1-4 SU the last 5 times they have entered a game off a SU win. The win for Ohio U over Buffalo was the first time this season that they have beaten a team that currently has a winning record in MAC games. Now the Bobcats face a Kent team that already owns wins over Buffalo and Akron this season. The fact is that the Golden Flashes are the better team and can rise to the occasion in a tough situation. That said, I have no hesitation grabbing them on the road here against an Ohio University team that has had its share of struggles on its home floor. 10* KENT STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Thursday 10* Top Play Delaware Fightin Blue Hens (+) @ College of Charleston Cougars @ 6 ET - The Cougars have won 8 straight meetings between these teams. The College of Charleston is also at home for this game. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on Delaware in this one! But certainly it is not without reason. The Fightin Blue Hens are the better team this season and they have plenty of motivation here. Delaware blew a 6 point home lead against the Cougars in late December for their 8th straight loss in this series. The key to the value in the rematch is that the College of Charleston has lost 4 straight games both SU and ATS. Additionally, the Cougars have failed to cover 9 of their last 13 games. They're simply not playing well and not faring well at the betting window either. As for Delaware, they do enter this game off a loss but the Fightin Blue Hens had won 8 of 9 SU and 6 of 8 ATS prior to the home loss to Hofstra. Off that ugly loss by a double digit margin and having not forgotten their ugly loss by a double digit margin at home against the Cougars, look for the Hens to roll on the road in this one! The last 3 times when the Fightin Blue Hens were off an ATS loss they have gone a perfect 3-0 ATS in their next game. Look for them to again thrive in that role in this one. 10* DELAWARE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #812 Wednesday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (-) vs Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 7 ET - The set up here is perfect. The Nittany Lions are off back to back losses. They shot the ball poorly from long-range in a home upset loss to Illinois. That then carried over to a road loss at Indiana. Now, back at home, Penn State gets rolling again from beyond the arc. Keep in mind, prior to back to back losses, the Lions had won 8 straight games and averaged 78 points per game! Adding to the value here of the Nittany Lions laying about a half dozen points, Penn State lost at Rutgers by double digits earlier this season. This is a revenge game and now the Lions catch the Scarlet Knights having lost 5 of 7. One of those two Rutgers wins came in OT against a bad Northwestern team. In other words, the Knights aren't playing very well right now and haven't been for about 3 weeks! Look for the Nittany Lions to get payback in a big way in this one. The Scarlet Knights have lost 5 straight road games SU and also are just 1-4 ATS their last 5 games overall. Penn State has only failed to cover twice in their last 10 games. The Nittany Lions are also 17-2 SU in their last 19 home games! Only 1 of their 8 wins in the recent streak came by less than 6 points and that was a 5 point win. In other words, all signs pointing to a home win and cover in this one. 10* PENN STATE

Big 12 Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #606 Tuesday 10* Top Play Iowa State Cyclones (-) vs TCU Horned Frogs @ 7 ET - Losing on your home floor is one thing. Losing by 30 points as a host is another thing! The Cyclones just got blasted at home by Texas Tech on Saturday and need to make amends for that here. Iowa State will take advantage of hosting a TCU team that is off a home win and is 0-7 SU in their last 7 road games. The Horned Frogs are also 0-7 ATS in those games! Texas Christian University has held the upper hand in recent meetings between these schools and that has led to line value here with the Cyclones as a host. Iowa State is 6-0 ATS the last 6 times they were at home and coming off an ATS loss. That means we have double perfect trends at play with the Horned Frogs in an 0-7 ATS spot and the Cyclones in a 6-0 ATS spot. Make it a triple perfect spot actually as TCU is also 0-3 ATS the last 3 times they have entered a game off a SU win. It has been a month and a half since the Horned Frogs have won back to back games and I look for them to again fail in that situation here. The Cyclones get their revenge for all the recent losses to TCU including falling just short on the road earlier this season. The home court makes all the difference here. 10* IOWA STATE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #873 Monday 10* Top Play Louisville Cardinals (+) @ Florida State Seminoles @ 7 ET - The Noles are ranked higher right now than the Cards plus they are at home. However, it is with good reason that this game is priced so low. The road team has revenge and has already beaten Duke on the road this season. The Cardinals lost their two most recent road games and that further strengthens the likelihood of a massive bounce back here. This team is poised for payback here at Florida State. Yes the Seminoles got the upset win at Louisville earlier this season but shot a ridiculous 55% from the field overall and 48% from three point land in that game. You know the Cardinals are going to be in lockdown mode on D against FSU after those embarrassing results in the home loss. The Seminoles are having a great season, there is no doubt about that. But I still feel strongly that the Cardinals are the better team and the revenge angle is strengthening this play. That is the only home loss that the Cards have this season. Now they face a Florida State team that hasn't lost a home game this season. You can see where I am going with this. The Cardinals have a chance at the sweetest type of revenge here and I look for them to return the favor and hand the Seminoles their only home loss of the season. 10* LOUISVILLE

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #858 Saturday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (-) vs Maryland Terrapins @ 4 ET - Ohio State continues to show strong home/road dichotomy. The Buckeyes are a great team on their home floor but constantly struggle on the road. This game is at Columbus and unlike the recent miracle win for the Terps at Michigan State, there will be no miracles here. Give Maryland credit, they did play a good game against the Spartans. But they were down by 7 with just a couple minutes left and then ended the game on an insane 14-0 run. That is not happening here against an Ohio State team that is 13-2 SU (and 10-5 ATS) in home games this season. The Terrapins enter this game off a non-covering win versus a bad Northwestern team. Maryland has won 9 straight games and also defeated Ohio State when they hosted the Buckeyes early last month. Now it is time for payback and there there is a reason the higher ranked team is an underdog here. Don't let the line fool you. Ohio State gets revenge on their home floor and they get it in a big way. The Terrapins have won 3 straight match-ups including the most recent one at Columbus so payback is on order here. The Terps are shooting just 39.8% from the field in road games this season. The Buckeyes are shooting 48.9% from the field in home games this season. Look for that to be a difference-maker in the rematch. 10* OHIO STATE

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #642 Saturday 8* Xavier Musketeers (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 2:30 ET - Revenge game for the Musketeers as they lost by 6 points as a 5.5 point dog at Villanova in late December. I haven't forgotten that game as I had Xavier there and have been waiting for this rematch. The Musketeers shot only 11% from 3-point land and that was the difference in the game. Though not a great shooting team, Xavier is certain to shoot much better than that on their home floor. Also, the Musketeers enter this game on a perfect 5-0 ATS run and they have won 4 of their last 5 SU too. They catch the Wildcats on a 1-4 ATS slide in Big East games and Villanova is over-valued in this spot in my opinion. Keep in mind the Cats also knocked the Musketeers out of the Big East tourney last March so this game certainly carries plenty of extra meaning for the home team. Xavier did allow 74 points in their win at St John's Monday. However, the Musketeers entered that game having allowed 62 points or less in 5 straight games! As for Villanova, they have allowed 70 points or more in 5 of their last 6 games. 8* XAVIER

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #623 Thursday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Iowa Hawkeyes @ 7 ET - The Hawkeyes have been great at home and are laying a small number here. However, don't let that fool you. There is a reason this game is priced that way. Iowa is likely to again be without CJ Fredrick. The guard is one of their top players but is dealing with a bad ankle sprain. If he does play he won't be 100%. Also, the Hawkeyes are off a road win but they've haven't won back to back games since a 5-game winning streak wrapped up 3 weeks ago. The Buckeyes come into this game rolling as they have won 5 of 6 games. However, their last road game was an ugly loss at Wisconsin. Not only does Ohio State want to make up for that here, they also haven't forgotten their last visit to Iowa. In that game the Hawkeyes blasted them by double digits in a game the Buckeyes led at halftime. It is payback time here. When Iowa is off a tight win (margin of 6 or less points) they have gone 0-8 ATS. Ohio State is 6-0 SU and ATS this season when they enter a game off 2 or more consecutive home wins. The Buckeyes are also 6-0 SU and ATS this season when off a game in which they allowed 55 points or less. 10* OHIO STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #782 Wednesday 10* Top Play Seton Hall Pirates (-) vs Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - We're getting some line value here because Bulldogs point guard Aaron Thompson has been upgraded to probable and that has moved the line a little toward Butler. He is not a big scorer but he leads them team in assists and, as such, is attracting some attention here. Thompson had missed the Georgetown game which was the Bulldogs 6th loss in their past 10 games. However, even though he is coming back, Thompson was on the floor when Butler lost as a host versus Seton Hall earlier this season. Additionally, the last 3 road games Thompson has played in, the Bulldogs have gone 0-3 and lost all 3 by double digits. With Seton Hall still at the top of the Big East but off back to back losses, the Pirates are hell bent on a huge game at home for this one. Seton Hall is not only off B2B losses overall but also has lost each of its past two home games after starting the season 10-1 SU at home. That is why I am backing the Pirates for a huge bounce back effort here and they should cover the short number as well. Nearly all their wins have come by a margin of at least a half dozen points this season. 10* SETON HALL

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #606 Tuesday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (-) vs Illinois Illini @ 6:30 ET - Penn State has been red hot. The Nittany Lions enter this game having won 8 in a row both SU and ATS! The Illini enter this game having lost 4 in a row SU and they covered just 1 of those 4 losses. Also, Illinois has lost 6 straight games to Penn State SU and also is on an 0-7 ATS run in games against the Nittany Lions. As you can see, there are streaks galore that support a play on PSU in this one but there is also more. The leading scorer for the Illini is Ayo Dosunmu and he is listed as questionable for this game. If he plays I don't expect him to be 100% physically or mentally for that matter. He took a very nasty fall at the end of the Illinois loss to Michigan State. Though the MRI ended up showing no structural damage the fact is that it was very ugly and is not an injury you just bounce right back from. Dosunmu missed the next game, 15 point loss at Rutgers, and could miss this game as well. Again, even if he does play I do not expect him to be playing at his normal high level and he had some rough shooting performances in recent games too. Right now the Nittany Lions are roaring and I don't see them getting knocked off at home here. Penn State has Indiana on deck but that is not a big deal as they already beat them by 15 during this 8-game winning streak. In other words, there is no lookahead here, the Nittany Lions are at home, and the Illini are both slumping (0-4 SU L4) and hurting (leading scorer questionable). All signs point to a home blowout here so I have no hesitation in laying the half dozen points here. 10* PENN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Monday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (-) @ St John's Red Storm @ 6:30 ET - The Musketeers enter this game on a perfect 4-0 ATS run. Xavier is also a perfect 10-0 SU in the last 10 meetings between these teams. The Red Storm are 0-3 SU when off a win. Keep in mind St John's had lost 9 of their last 11 games before their rare win over Providence Wednesday. The Musketeers had won 3 in a row before their loss at Butler Wednesday. The Red Storm are also now without 2nd leading scorer Mustapha Heron. You can see that we have triple perfect support in terms of trending for this play. With the Musketeers off a loss and St John's off a rare win, I am looking for the streak to reach 11 in a row in this series! 10* XAVIER

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #821 Sunday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) @ Temple Owls @ 1 ET - This is a big game as part of the Big 5 in Philly each year. The Wildcats usually win the Big 5 Title in Philly and they are 3-0 this season in Big 5 action while the Owls are 2-1. That means Temple can earn a share of the title with the upset win here. However, Villanova is going to prove to be too much here. Yes the Wildcats had endured a recent losing streak but they faced very stiff competition and their most recent 1-point win was a game in which Nova led by 18 points in the 2nd half. As for the Owls, they have started winning again but have faced weak competition too. They are off a win versus Tulane, the worst team in the AAC, and Temple actually was trailing by 13 points near the midway point of the 2nd half of that game. The point is that the Owls were well on their way to losing outright to a very bad team before they rallied while the Cats are off a game in which they were on their way to a blowout win over a quality opponent before barely hanging on. Those results give us line value here with a rather short number on Villanova. Temple is off back to back wins but had lost 8 of 10 prior to that. Also, 2 of their 3 most recent wins have come against East Carolina and the Green Wave. Those teams are a combined 6-18 in AAC action this season. The Wildcats have battled it out with 3 straight Top 25 teams and now are going to take advantage of a step down in level of competition here. Keep in mind that even though this game is at Temple, both these teams are Philly teams. In other words, it is not much of a "road game" at all. The Wildcats roll. 10* VILLANOVA

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #730 Saturday 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (-) vs Maryland Terrapins @ 6 ET - The Terrapins are ranked in the top 10 in the country right now while the Spartans have fallen out of the top 25. Maryland has won 7 straight games while Michigan State had lost 3 straight games prior to notching a tight 1-point win at Illinois Tuesday. That said, why did Michigan State open up in the range of a 7-point favorite for this one? Precisely! Don't be fooled as the Spartans are set to roll to a double digit win on their home floor here. Their most recent game as a host was a rare home loss as a surging Penn State team went into East Lansing and got the upset win. Prior to that, the Spartans were 10-1 SU at home this season. Also, their point differential is 23 points at home as Michigan State's games as a host have had an average score of 83 to 60. Even though Maryland has been hot, this is still a Terrapins team that is just 3-4 SU on the road this season. The Terps have a point differential of only 2.5 points on the road this season as they have averaged 68.9 points but allowed 66.4 points in road games this season. The Spartans are known for dominating the paint in match-ups with Maryland. The Terrapins do have 6'10 Jalen Smith but are really lacking in talented big men when it comes to depth. Look for Michigan State to, as per usual, wear down the Terps as this one goes on. The Spartans have dominated home meetings with Maryland and, overall, have won the last 3 match-ups by an average margin of 16.7 points per game. That is the range I expect this one to finish in as well. The Spartans are use to being at the top of the Big Ten but right now the Terrapins occupy that spot. Undoubtedly the home team has something to say about that here. 10* MICHIGAN STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #607 Saturday 8* Purdue Boilermakers (+) @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ Noon ET - The Boilermakers are off a loss and allowed 88 points. This followed a stretch that had seen Purdue win 3 straight games. I expect them to bounce right back here as the Boilermakers are 5-0 SU the last 5 times they are off a loss in which they allowed 70 points or more. Purdue is facing a Buckeyes team today which is off a non-covering home win versus Rutgers. That dropped Ohio State to 1-4 ATS in their last 5 home games. They continue to be over-valued in my opinion. Yes, I know the Buckeyes have a strong SU record at home but, in Big Ten home games prior to facing the Scarlet Knights, Ohio State was just 2-2 SU and one of those wins came against a bad Nebraska team. Also, last weekend we saw the Buckeyes get absolutely destroyed at Wisconsin as the game wasn't even as close as the 70-57 final would lead one to believe. The Boilermakers have confidence here as they won at Columbus last season plus blasted the Buckeyes when they hosted them last season. Coming off a home loss but having won their two prior road games, the Boilers get it done again on the road here. If they do fall short I expect the defeat to come by just a bucket or two. Grab the points. 8* PURDUE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Friday 10* Top Play Davidson Wildcats (+) @ St Bonaventure Bonnies @ 7 ET - There is a reason this line is set lower than many would expect. St Bonaventure is 17-8 this season and 9-3 in conference games. Davidson is only a game above .500 on the season overall and in conference games. Also, the Wildcats are on the road here. So the Bonnies should be favored by much more than just the typical 3 or 4 points that is considered the home court edge, right? Long-time followers know how I feel about supposed "flawed lines" or "bad numbers". The fact is the line is set this way with good reason. For one thing Davidson has been a bit of a nemesis of St Bonaventure's in recent years. The Bonnies confidence tends to be "shot" when they are facing the Wildcats. Also, a big key here as it relates to the overall records of these teams and the fact that St Bonaventure enters this game on a 5-game winning streak, the Wildcats have played a much tougher schedule this season. Also all of the Bonnies A-10 wins (except one upset win by a 3-point margin over Duquesne) have come against teams at the bottom of the standings. All those teams have a record of 4-7 or worse in A-10 action. The non-conference schedule is where Davidson has faced a much tougher schedule. Also, in A-10 action the Wildcats lost at VCU by 11 points while the Bonnies lost by 28 points. Davidson's only other two losses in the past 5 weeks each came by 6 or less points. The Wildcats are a tough team to pull away from and the Bonnies haven't even been able to beat the Cats in recent meetings let alone pull away for any kind of margin. Give me the points. 10* DAVIDSON

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #623 Thursday 10* Top Play Wichita State Shockers (-) @ UCF Knights @ 7 ET - Perfect set up here. The Knights are off a win versus Tulsa. That is was an impressive victory for UCF. Keep in mind the only other 3 wins they have in AAC action came against the 3 worst teams in the conference: South Florida, East Carolina, Tulane. Also, prior to rare back to back wins for the Knights, they were barely a .500 team on the season. Now we can fade them with an angry Shockers team that, not too long ago, was 15-1 on the season! Wichita State is fired up after an extremely embarrassing 76-43 loss at Houston. Yes, the Shockers have lost 3 straight games now but they played 3 of the top teams in the conference: Tulsa, Cincinnati, Houston. Those 3 teams have a combined record of 26-8 in AAC action. Now, taking on a team which they are 4-0 against and a team that is only 4-7 in AAC action this season, Wichita State will take advantage. Perfect set up here as the Shockers are off their worst game in AAC action on the season while the Knights are off their best game in conference action on the season. The result here will be a road rout in this ideal scenario. 10* WICHITA STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (+) @ Butler Bulldogs @ 6:30 ET - With each win, confidence grows. That makes for a dangerous dog here. The Musketeers have won 3 straight games and here they are catching about a half dozen points in a revenge game against a struggling Butler team. The Bulldogs have won only 3 of their past 8 games and, by the way, all 3 wins came by 5 or less points. That means if you played against Butler with +5.5 (today's dominant line) in each of their past 8 games, you have gone 8-0 ATS. Look for the Musketeers to continue that trend here as they get revenge for losing by 5 points in their most recent meeting (March) with the Bulldogs. Prior to that tight defeat, Xavier had won 4 straight meetings with Butler. Both teams have impressive defensive numbers on the season but the Bulldogs, not including OT points in the Marquette game, have allowed 73.1 points per game their past 8 games. The Musketeers have allowed an average of only 59.7 points their last 3 games and have held 5 of their last 6 opponents, not including OT points in the Marquette game, to 62 points or less! I like the value with the surging underdog looking to avenge a March loss in this one. I'll gladly grab the generous points as Butler is "pressing" a bit right now and starting to wilt under the pressure. Give me the unranked team in this one as they play well as a tenacious underdog! 10* XAVIER

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #608 Tuesday 10* Top Play St Joseph's Hawks (+) vs St Bonaventure Bonnies @ 7 ET - I know the Hawks have had a tough season but this is a spot where this Philly team has a great shot at a big upset win at home. In comparison with St Bonaventure, St Joseph's has played the much tougher schedule this season. Also, the key here is the situation. The Bonnies blasted the Hawks in both games last season and that included an embarrassing home loss here in Philadelphia. St Joseph's will be ready to go here. As for St Bonaventure, they are off a tight upset win at Duquesne that ended an 0-3 ATS run in road games for the Bonnies. On deck is a home game with Davidson. That may not seem like a big deal BUT it is the Wildcats that swept St Bonaventure last season PLUS also eliminated them from the Atlantic 10 Tournament the prior season. Keep in mind that was the season the Bonnies made it to the NCAA Tournament and had a very strong team. Having now lost 3 straight games to Davidson, they can't help but be thinking a little bit about their upcoming home date with the Wildcats. For the Hawks, it is all about this game and getting some revenge and having a huge game on their home floor. I fully expect, given the situation, that we're going to see St Joseph's play one of their best games of the season tonight at home. If the Hawks do fall short on the scoreboard here, look for the defeat to come by a margin of just a bucket or two in a fierce end-game battle. This line has moved from as low as a 6 to as high as an 8.5 and I am grabbing the big dog value here. 10* ST JOSEPH'S

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #839 Sunday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Wisconsin Badgers @ 1 ET - This is a double revenge game for the Buckeyes. Not only did the Badgers beat them at Columbus earlier this season, they also beat them there last season too! Ohio State is hell bent on revenge here and the situation is perfect for them to do just that. Wisconsin, after Kobe King left the program, has been going through some significant internal struggles. They managed to rally the troops during this tough time over the past week and a half and that led to an upset win over Michigan State. However, there is only so far that emotion can take you and that was evident when the Badgers then got blasted by 18 points at Minnesota this week. This is a Wisconsin team that has lost 3 of its past 4 games SU and also has covered just 1 of its past 7 games at the betting window. As for the Buckeyes, they have righted the ship with 3 straight wins (and covers) and now catch the Badgers at the perfect time to exact revenge. Look for the road team to stay hot here and get a convincing win as the current situation here is a case of two teams heading in opposite directions. 10* OHIO STATE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #641 Saturday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers (+) @ Indiana Hoosiers @ 2 ET - We saw this last year with Indiana and it seems like deja vu. Last season, after getting off to a strong start the first couple months, the Hoosiers had losing streaks of 7 games and 5 games after the new year. Their current losing streak entering this game is "only" 3 games but, once again, Indiana's mental toughness is being questioned. Exasperating the situation here for the Hoosiers is the fact that they are facing a bitter rival that continues to have their number. The Boilermakers have won each of the last 5 meetings between these teams. Also, Purdue enters this game rolling with confidence while Indiana is again having those same feelings of self-doubt which inflicted them during last season's swoon. While the Hoosiers are on a 3-game losing streak and have lost 6 of 10, the Boilers have won 3 of 4. Yes the road win came against conference-worst Northwestern but notching a road win was a key for Purdue. As for their two home wins during this 4-game stretch, those came by a combined margin of 55 points against the Badgers and the ranked Hawkeyes. While the Boilermakers have scored an average of 74.5 points their last 4 games, Indiana has been held to an average of 54 points in its last two games. Granted those two games were on the road but also note that their most recent home win saw Joey Brunk lead the team in scoring and rebounds. He is questionable for this game and dealing with an illness. In a rivalry game I am happy to grab the points with the team that has dominated this series, is well-coached, and has the confidence level to get the job done against a team whose confidence is waning with each successive loss. 10* PURDUE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #602 Saturday 8* George Washington Colonials (+) vs Rhode Island Rams @ Noon ET - This is a great spot for a home dog upset. I am expecting Armel Potter to be back on the floor today for the Colonials but, even if he does not play, I fully expect George Washington to stay within single digits in this game. The Colonials are fired up off back to back ugly losses on the road. Certainly they are happy to be back home for what is their only home game between January 29th and February 22nd. They'll make the most of this game and, prior to the B2B road losses, had won 4 of 5 games with the only loss coming by just 5 points. Also, George Washington is off for a full week after this game. It is definitely the type of set up where a team "leaves it all on the floor". Last, but certainly not least, this is a revenge game as the Colonials got blown out at Rhode Island last season. They lost the game by 27 because the Rams scored 30 points more than them from 3-point land as George Washington went 0 for 11 from beyond the arc. Of course that is not happening again here and the Colonials catch Rhode Island in a huge lookahead spot here. The Rams have won 9 straight Atlantic 10 games and have a massive game at Dayton (9-0 in Atlantic 10 action) on deck. That one sets up as a huge 1-2 battle at the top of this conference and Rhode Island can't help but to be looking ahead to that game on Tuesday. As bad as the Colonials were in recent road games they have been a much stronger team at home this season and this game has true upset potential. That said, grab the generous points. 8* GEORGE WASHINGTON

Early Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #852 Friday 10* Top Play Yale Bulldogs (-) vs Harvard Crimson @ 5 ET - We are getting line value here because of the revenge angle here. The revenge is actually with Harvard in this game. They finished tied with Yale for the regular season Ivy League title but then the Crimson lost to the Bulldogs in the conference tournament. So we should play Harvard to get revenge here, right? Not so fast my friends. The Crimson lost Seth Towns before the season even got going and they are currently still without their biggest star Bryce Aiken. Harvard enters this game off B2B SU losses and on an 0-5 ATS run. I know they do have two Ivy League wins but those each came by 5 or less points and that was against a bad Dartmouth team. Conversely, Yale has not just been winning, the Bulldogs have been crushing teams. Yale enters this game on a 6-game winning streak and all 6 victories came by more than 10 points. The Bulldogs have shot 43% three pointers at home and 51% from the field overall at home. Yale is allowing opponents to hit only 35% from the field when they are the host and that includes the Bulldogs defending the arc very well as they have held the opposition to 29% from 3-point land. Yes there is revenge here but the home team is currently the better team and the healthier team and the short number on this game is absolutely a bargain. 10* YALE

Dominator Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #624 Thursday 10* Top Play Drexel Dragons (-) vs James Madison Dukes @ 7 ET - Great set up here. The Dragons are off a disappointing stretch of 3 straight losses on the road. Now Drexel is back home in Philadelphia where they are a fantastic 9-2 this season. The Dukes are off a rare win. James Madison is now 2-9 in conference games this season after beating UNC-Wilmington again. That's right, the only two wins that James Madison has this season in Colonial action have come against the Seahawks and that's not saying much since UNC-Wilmington is the worst team in the conference this season. Prior to the Dukes win over the Seahawks, James Madison had lost 7 straight games and 9 of its last 10. The Dukes last 4 road losses all have come by 8 or more points. We only have to lay a half dozen points here with Drexel. Note that the Dragons last two home wins each game by more than a 20 point margin. At home off 3 straight road losses, Drexel won't take their foot off the gas in this one against James Madison. The Dukes, off a rare win, are ripe for the picking here too in terms of a being in a flat spot and being on the road where they have struggled. James Madison is 8-22 ATS (including 1-7 ATS this season) when off a win. Also, when off a game in which they scored 80 or more points, the Dukes are 4-14 ATS. The Dragons are 4-1 ATS when they are on an ATS losing streak of 3 or more games plus they are 5-1 ATS this season when off a game in which they allowed 80 or more points. 10* DREXEL

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #623 Tuesday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 7 ET - Finally on March 1st Ohio State will host Michigan but, as for this match-up, it is the 3rd straight time these teams are meeting in Ann Arbor. The last two have not gone well at all for the Buckeyes as they have been blasted by a double digit margin in each meeting. That said, I am looking for big-time payback for Ohio State in this one. Both teams are off back to back wins but the Wolverines have their biggest rival, Michigan State, on deck. Michigan got blasted by 18 points by the Spartans in their first meeting so they're already looking forward to the rematch. As for the Buckeyes, they are off back to back wins and both were key. They finally got back on track with a road win (at Northwestern) and then beat a respectable Big Ten foe, Indiana, in their most recent game. Look for Ohio State to bring momentum from those games right into this game and deliver the road upset. The Buckeyes are the better team defensively and also shoot the 3-ball better than Michigan. Look for some solid D to lead the way to a road win here. It is payback time. 10* OHIO STATE

Patriot League Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #501 Monday 10* Top Play Lafayette Leopards (+) @ Bucknell Bison @ 7 ET - Revenge game for the Leopards. They blew a big half-time lead and lost by double digits to the Bison in Easton last month. Since that defeat, Lafayette has responded very well. As for Bucknell, it has been a downhill slide since then. The Bison have gone 3-5 SU since then and the only 3 victories were against the 3 worst teams in the Patriot League. Bucknell beat Holy Cross, Loyola (MD), and Lehigh. Those teams are each just 2-8 in conference games this season! Now the Bison host a revenge-minded Leopards team that is 14-7 on the season and has won 6 of 8 games since losing to Bucknell. Note that Lafayette is off a win over an American team that was 6-3 in conference action and, prior to that game, the Leopards knocked off the top team in the Patriot for a season sweep. Yes, Lafayette won at Colgate and that completed a 2-0 season series sweep over a Raiders team that is 8-0 against the rest of the Patriot League this season. The Leopards have been a pleasant surprise this season and red-hot Justin Jaworski and company get revenge here on the road in Lewisburg Monday. 10* LAFAYETTE

Afternoon Rout - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #687 Saturday 10* Top Play UNLV Running Rebels (+) @ Colorado State Rams @ 4 ET - The Rebels are off back to back losses but they faced two very tough tests as they travel to Reno to face Nevada and then were at home against San Diego State. UNLV got the cover against the Aztecs but San Diego State is now 22-0 SU on the season. In other words, no real shame in that performance. Also, Nevada is now 9-2 SU at home this season and that defeat for the Rebels was expected. Now I am not saying that Colorado State is an easy place to play but UNLV has had more success here than in Reno in recent seasons. I also like the fact that the Rebels are even deeper now since an original starting guard, Elijah Mitrou-Long, is now back from injury. He actually lost his starting job to Marvin Coleman by virtue of being out. However, he has handled it like a true professional and now the Rebels are an even stronger team as a result. This line opened up at -5 and has moved to a -6.5 and I love the value in going against the move here with a very hungry (and rested and healthy) UNLV team off back to back losses. Note that the Rams are off a non-covering 1 point win versus Nevada. That was a hard-fought win and was also a revenge game for Colorado State. Watch them now fall short here against an angry Rebels team. I expect the outright upset but will certainly be grabbing the generous points for added insurance. 10* UNLV

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #616 Saturday 8* Wisconsin Badgers (+) vs Michigan State Spartans @ 1 ET - There is an old saying that I associate with today's play on Wisconsin. That is: It is a wounded dog that bites the hardest. I also feel that is particularly true when that dog is guarding its home! The Badgers (by the way, known for being a fiercely aggressive animal) are backed into a corner here and ready to fight anything and everything in their path. It has been a tumultuous week with Kobe King announcing his departure from the program and Brad Davidson being suspended for this game. Also, Micah Potter is dealing with an ankle injury but he is expected to be available for this one. In their first game without King, the Badgers put up a helluva fight and actually led by 12 points in the 2nd half at Iowa before eventually falling short. Now they are back home ready to fight again and they're hosting a Spartans team that has beaten them 8 straight times. The very first line that opened up on this game was a -3 and we're now seeing numbers as high as a -6.5 on Michigan State. The fact is that playing at Wisconsin is never easy. The Badgers are 9-1 here at home this season and the lone loss came by a single point. Coach Greg Gard's remaining players are fighting hard for him. They proved that against the Hawkeyes and you'll see it again here against the Spartans. Note that Michigan State is just 2-8 ATS on the road this season. Maybe they eke out a win here but, if they do, look for it to be by only a bucket or two. 8* WISCONSIN

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #854 Friday 10* Kent State Golden Flashes (-) vs Akron Zips @ 6:30 ET - The Zips have over-achieved early this season and that has led to line value here in this spot with the Golden Flashes at home. Kent State is 13-1 at home their last 14 games and came into this season projected to finish near the top of the MAC East while Akron was projected to finish near the bottom of the MAC East. The cream eventually rises to the top and we're starting to see some signs that the Zips defense, so strong last season, is a much different animal this season. Akron had a strong game defensively at Miami-Ohio but has allowed an average of 87 points in their other 3 recent games! As for the Golden Flashes, they have allowed 70 points or less in 3 of their past 4 games. Also, their most recent home game was a loss and they'll be looking to make up for that here. Kent State had won their first 9 home games this season. This is just the 2nd home game for the Golden Flashes in a span of 3 weeks. Also, the home team has won 4 straight in this series. Look for that streak for the host to reach 5-0 by the time this one goes final this evening! 10* KENT STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #627 Thursday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Illinois Illini @ 7:30 ET - Nice set up here with the Illini off a big win at Michigan and the Golden Gophers off an ugly loss versus Michigan State. Minnesota, after the home loss to the Spartans, should respond in a big way here. The Gophers are 6-0 SU the last 6 times they've entered a game off a loss this season. Should Minnesota fall short of the outright upset here, note that Illinois is on a 6 game winning streak but 4 of the last 5 Illini victories have come by a margin of 4 or less points! In fact, not including a blowout win over an outclassed North Carolina AT & T team, Illinois has seen only 2 of its past 8 games result in a win for the Illini by a margin of more than 4 points. Minnesota got thrashed here at Illinois by 27 points last season so revenge is on order in this one. The Golden Gophers are 3-1 SU (and 4-0 ATS!) when they enter a game having scored 65 points or less in each of their 3 prior games. Illinois is off back to back covers and that is a situation that has seen them go 0-10 ATS! Look for that perfect trend to continue as, once again, the third time is NOT the charm for the Illini. The Golden Gophers, for the 7th time, respond with a win when they are coming off a loss. 10* MINNESOTA

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #793 Wednesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) @ Connecticut Huskies @ 7 ET - Kobe Bryant was a Philadelphia native. Of course the world was rocked by his untimely passing this weekend and you may ask yourself what that has to do with this play though. Plenty! Aaron McKie, the Owls coach, is also a Philly native. Of course Temple is based in Philadelphia. I know emotions and energy and passion can only take you so far on the basketball court but this is absolutely a "rally the troops" game for the Owls. This game is being played at Connecticut but you can bet that the Owls are bringing plenty of energy and passion and emotion from Philly for this game. McKie has had a great message for the team since the passing of Bryant on Sunday. Though the Owls have struggled recently, I am going to take advantage of them getting a half dozen points here against a Huskies team that has also been struggling. It is hard to justify UConn being a 6-point favorite when they have lost 6 of their past 7 games. Also, the Owls have won 3 of the last 4 meetings between these teams and the lone loss came by a margin of 6 points while the average margin of the 3 victories was 17 points. I am aware of De'Vondre Perry and Josh Pierre-Louis both being questionable on the injury report. But I really don't expect Pierre-Louis to miss this game and Perry is off a horrific shooting performance. In fact the entire team shot poorly at Penn in their most recent game and that is why they lost despite taking 20+ more shots from the field than the Quakers. After that very strange and unexpected result, the Owls bounce back here and play a solid 40 for Kobe in this one! 10* TEMPLE

Big East Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #602 Tuesday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - The Wildcats have been red hot but the Red Storm are known for giving Villanova plenty of trouble. St John's is a perfect 4-0 ATS in their last 4 meetings with the Cats. The Red Storm are 10-3 SU this season and all 3 home losses came by 3 or less points. Getting a big win over a solid Blue Demons team at DePaul Saturday gives the Red Storm a boost of momentum here. They have been ultra competitive but just haven't quite got over the hump in some of their tight games. They could very easily be 13-0 at home and I like the fact that both Figueroa and Heron are coming off huge games Saturday and are now back home where they should be knocking down plenty of shot. Also, the Wildcats Jermaine Samuels is listed as questionable for this game and he is a key contributor for Villanova and won't be 100 percent here if he even plays. The Wildcats defense gets a lot of praise and it is deserved but they do allow 44.2% from the field in road games and the Red Storm allow 39.2% from the field in home games. I look for an upset here. This is the perfect spot with Nova playing a 2nd straight tough road game (they were at Providence Saturday) and I am grabbing the points here. Villanova has now covered B2B games but they are 0-3 ATS in that situation this season. The Red Storm are 7-2 ATS the last 9 times they have been a home underdog. 10* ST JOHN'S

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #865 Monday 10* Top Play North Carolina Tar Heels (+) @ North Carolina State Wolfpack @ 7 ET - The Tar Heels are having a down season but that has led to great line value in a spot like this. Of course this is a rivalry game with NC State and it is a rivalry which North Carolina has dominated for many years. Now i am not saying that the Wolfpack won't find a way to get the win here but I am saying that UNC has a great shot at the outright upset and, if the Heels do fall short, I look for it to be just by a bucket or two. The Tar Heels enter this game off back to back covers. That included a 2-point loss in overtime at Virginia Tech. Two of North Carolina's last three losses have been by 3 or less points. The Wolfpack are 4-3 SU in their last 7 games but two of those four wins came by 5 or less points and only 1 of the 4 victories was by more than 6 points. A big key for the Tar Heels in their series dominance against NC State has been dominating the boards. Winning the rebounding battle has been a key to long-term success for North Carolina and they are again dominating the boards this season. Look for that to again be a key against a Wolfpack team that has a couple of rotation players (both forwards) that are listed as questionable for this game. The fact that Bates and Andree are both banged up for NC State certainly won't help them in the battle of the boards in this one. That said, I like having the underdog here in a game that means more to them this season than it has in past seasons. Because the Tar Heels are having a rare sub-par season (key early season injuries really hurt them) they have extra motivation here as a sizable dog against a team they have dominated for many seasons. Give me the generous points here! 10* NORTH CAROLINA

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #839 Sunday 10* Top Play Michigan State Spartans (-) @ Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 3 ET - The Spartans are off a loss at Indiana but were previously 14-4 this season. They have now lost back to back road games and, though they have a few injury concerns, this is still an ultra-talented high-quality basketball team. They are catching the Golden Gophers at the perfect time to get back on track. Minnesota is off a big win versus Ohio State. That was an upset win on the road for the Golden Gophers and now I look for the Spartans to catch Minny a little flat after that one. Not only is Michigan State 4-0 SU and ATS in their last 4 meetings with Minnesota, they have won each of those games by a margin of 16 points or more! The line opened up at a 4.5 and fell too as low as a 2.5 and, in typical contrarian fashion, I am fading the line move and grabbing the value on the other side of the move. Looking at shooting percentages on the season, the Spartans are the better shooting team and defensive team in comparison with the Golden Gophers. Look for Sparty to bring a very strong effort here off their loss. Grab them off the loss here. 10* MICHIGAN STATE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #616 Saturday 10* Top Play Providence Friars (+) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 1 ET - Villanova has been hot but this will be just the third true road game they have played since a "road game" at St Joseph's December 7th and that was in Philly of course. That being said, the Wildcats haven't faced a lot of truly tough road tests that past two months and they are in for one here. The Cats are facing the revenge-minded Friars in this one. Providence has lost 4 straight games to Villanova and this includes getting knocked out of the Big East tournament each of the past two seasons. The Friars are highly motivated here to say the least. Also, Providence is entering this game off B2B losses but both came on the road. The Friars are happy to be back on their home floor where they have won 8 of 10 games this season. The Wildcats are 5-3 on the road this season and their only 2 recent games away from Philly saw them split as they lost at Marquette and then barely snuck by Creighton. Villanova is allowing 71.7 points per game on the road this season while Providence is allowing an average of only 60.5 points per game at home this season. The Wildcats allow 46% shooting from the field on the road while the Friars allow just 39% shooting from the field at home this season. Home court and big-time revenge will play a role in this one and I look for the home team to prevail big here. 10* PROVIDENCE

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #851 Friday 10* Top Play Kent State Golden Flashes (+) @ Buffalo Bulls @ 6:30 ET - The very first line that opened on this game had the Bulls, at home, as the slimmest of favorites. Now the line is all the way up to a solid 4 across the board as of early game day morning. Long-time followers know how I feel about a move like this. I like what I am seeing with the Golden Flashes here. Yes they have lost 3 straight games but this is a solid Kent State team that returned 4 starters this season while last season's MAC East champions returned just 2 starters. Yes Buffalo comes into this one as the hotter team with 4 straight wins while the Flashes have lost 3 straight. However, you don't think the odds makers were aware of this when they set the line? This is the PERFECT spot for Kent State to bounce back. The Golden Flashes also have lost 4 straight games to the Bulls including a blowout loss by 23 points in their visit here last season. The season prior to that was when Buffalo knocked Kent State out of the MAC Tournament with a 17 point blowout win. Suffice to say the Golden Flashes have had this game circled on their calendars. The Bulls had a great season last year but Kent State truly has closed the gap this season. The fact is, despite recent results, there is no gap now. I am taking the Golden Flashes plus the points but I am expecting the outright upset in a huge revenge game. Kent State is 3-0 ATS when they enter a game on a 3-game losing streak. The Golden Flashes are 3-0 ATS this season as a road dog of 6 or less points and they won all 3 of those games SU! The Bulls are 2-5 ATS when they are off an ATS win this season. 10* KENT STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Thursday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (-) vs Minnesota Golden Gophers @ 6:30 ET - Situations mean a lot in the outcome of games. The last time the Buckeyes faced the Golden Gophers it was at Minnesota and Ohio State was off a huge home blowout win over Penn State. The Buckeyes ended up getting blown out by the Gophers by double digits. This situation, which of course also now includes a revenge angle for Ohio State, is entirely different. This time the Buckeyes are off a double digit loss at Penn State and are now back home looking to bounce back strong. Ohio State is 10-1 SU in home games this season and allowing just 56.4 points per game there. I know they have struggled overall in recent weeks but look for home cooking to get them back on track in this game. It helps that they're facing a Minnesota team which is just 1-6 SU in road games this season and has allowed 70.9 points per game in those match-ups. Prior to the blowout loss at Minnesota last month, the Buckeyes won the prior two meetings each by 18 or more points! The Golden Gophers were held below 40% from the field in each of those meetings and Minnesota is not going to shoot a ridiculous 54.4% from the field again like they did in last month's meeting. The Buckeyes defense, known for being tough at home, will be in full-on lock-down mode here. 10* OHIO STATE

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #787 Wednesday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 7 ET - Yes the Nittany Lions are off a huge win over Ohio State. However, they certainly aren't going to overlook a game at Michigan either. Also, this is Penn State's final game until a week from today so they want to enter this break in the schedule by maintaining momentum after the big win over the Buckeyes. I am happy to challenge Michigan to cover this spread as they are likely to struggle just in terms of getting a SU win here. I say that because the Wolverines have struggled in games with lines in the single digits. Michigan is on a 3-5 SU streak and 2 of those wins were "gimme games" against Presbyterian and UMass-Lowell as the Wolverines were favored by 20+ in each of those contests. As for the other 6 games during this 8-game stretch, Michigan went 1-5 SU and the lone win against a quality opponent was one in which the Wolverines were a bit fortunate in beating Purdue by 6 points as that was a DOUBLE OT game. Michigan's 2nd leading scorer, Isaiah Livers, has been out and has been downgraded to doubtful for tonight's game. That is certainly hurting the Wolverines. Also, Penn State is seeking revenge from losing by a double digit margin in their last visit to Ann Arbor. The Nittany Lions are holding opponents to a 39.5% shooting percentage this season. In Michigan's last 5 games, they have allowed opponents to hit 47.6% from the field and that including the blowout win over UMass-Lowell. That said, note that the Wolverines have allowed 51% shooting or higher from the field in 3 of their last 4 games! 10* PENN STATE

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #601 Tuesday 10* Top Play Butler Bulldogs (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ 7 ET - The earliest line on this game was Villanova -2.5 and, of course, it jumped up to a 4.5 as of early game day morning. Of course the move makes sense because the Wildcats have won 4 straight meetings between these teams and the Bulldogs enter this game off back to back SU losses even though they were a favorite in each game. You know how I feel about spots like these. I am happy to fade the move here as this Nova team is not as strong as those in recent seasons and yet Butler is very strong this season but coming in undervalued here because they are off those B2B losses. Of course Villanova flashes a perfect home record so the masses jumped all over them laying the short number here. The Bulldogs, prior to their loss at DePaul, were 6-1 SU on the road this season. Also, that was the first time this season that Butler suffered an ATS or SU loss when coming off an ATS loss. That said, look for the Bulldogs to respond here and improve to 5-1 SU and ATS this season when they enter a game off an ATS loss. Villanova drops to 2-7 ATS when they enter a game off a home win. Look for the outright upset here but I am grabbing the points as added insurance. 10* BUTLER

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #873 Monday 10* Top Play NC State Wolfpack (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 7 ET - The Cavaliers knocked the Wolfpack out of the ACC Tourney with a dominating 20 point win in March. Virginia outscored NC State by 21 points from 3-point land and that was the difference in the game as the Wolfpack had a horrible shooting night. This season's NC State is the best Wolfpack team in terms of depth and experience that we have seen in quite some time. That said, I also like the fact that they are knocking down 33% of their threes this season while Virginia has been held to 26.7% from beyond the arc. Of course I respect the Cavs defense but this year's team is a few notches down from recent Cavaliers teams and the Wolfpack are highly motivated here. They view this game as a "measuring stick" game and want to prove they can measure up against a Virginia team that has been a bit of a nemesis for them in recent seasons. I fully expect NC State to do just that! The Cavaliers are off a tight win at Georgia Tech but had previously lost 3 straight games. Also, the Cavs had failed to cover 6 of 7 prior to getting the ATS win against the Yellow Jackets. The Wolfpack are off a non-covering win versus Clemson and are a perfect 5-0 SU and ATS this season when entering a game having failed to cover 2 of their last 3 games. Virginia is 0-9 ATS this season when they enter game having allowed 60 points or less in each of their last two games. Double perfect situation here for the road dog. Grab the points. 10* NC STATE

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Sunday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Rutgers Scarlet Knights @ 1 ET - I understand where this line came from and why the betting markets are siding with Rutgers. But, of course, in typical contrarian fashion I am on the other side of the move and grabbing the added value. Yes, Minnesota has struggled on the road this season while the Scarlet Knights have been perfect at home. However, the Golden Gophers have played the tougher schedule plus there is plenty of motivation here. Last season Minnesota lost at Rutgers and the prior season the Gophers got knocked out of the Big Ten tourney by the Knights. There is no love lost between these two foes to say the least and I like having the team that is highly motivated and has played a significantly tougher overall schedule so far this season. The Golden Gophers are 6-2 SU and ATS in their last 8 games and one of the two SU losses came by just a 5 points margin. I look for Minnesota to be "in this one" all the way and am expecting the outright upset but will grab the points as added insurance. Note that the Golden Gophers had won 6 of last 8 meetings with Rutgers prior to losing the most recent meeting. Payback time. 10* MINNESOTA

TV Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #756 Saturday 8* UNLV Runnin' Rebels (-) vs New Mexico Lobos @ 6 ET - The Lobos are in trouble while the Rebels are surging under the new coaching regime. New Mexico is off an ugly loss at Colorado State. While the Lobos would certainly love to bounce back here, they simply don't have the personnel that they had coming into this season. Note that 3 key minutes guys are out. JJ Caldwell (suspension), Carlton Bragg (dismissed), and Vance Jackson (knee injury) won't be on the floor tonight. There is a chance Jackson could play but the odds are slim. Speaking of slim odds I just don't see the Lobos going to Vegas and knocking off UNLV with the way they have been playing. The Runnin' Rebels seem to be getting stronger and stronger as they adjust to the system under their new head coach. UNLV has won 6 of their past 7 games and all 6 wins have come by 9 or more points. Look for this one too as well. 8* UNLV

SEC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #689 Saturday 10* Top Play Missouri Tigers (+) @ Alabama Crimson Tide @ 3:30 ET - The Crimson Tide are off a huge win over in-state rival Auburn. That was a huge win for Alabama for more reasons than one. That victory for the Tide handed the rival Tigers their very first loss of the season. Knocking off a highly ranked team that is also a huge rival is going to leave Alabama flat for this battle and that is bad news for Crimson Tide fans. That's because Missouri comes into this one angry after a 27 point beatdown at Mississippi State in their most recent game. The Tigers were off a big win versus Florida and simply fell flat against the Bulldogs. They won't be flat here however as they lost by double digits at home to the Crimson Tide last season so it is payback time here. Also, lets talk about line value here. When Missouri played at Kentucky they were an 8.5 point dog. When Alabama played at Kentucky they were a 10 point dog! These games were played within a week of each other and the lines tell you the odds makers feel the Tigers are the better team! Yet here they are, with the betting markets falling in love with the Crimson Tide, getting a full +7 in this game as of early gameday morning. I'll gladly take the points here as Missouri is undervalued and Alabama is in a true flat spot here. Yes the Crimson Tide have been very hot ATS but they are facing a tough test here with the Tigers and I expect this game to ultimately be decided by only a bucket or two. 10* MISSOURI

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Friday 10* Top Play Wisconsin Badgers (+) @ Michigan State Spartans @ 7 ET - The Spartans just got rolled at Purdue. So now everyone is jumping on Michigan State in a bounce back spot on their home floor. However, how much is too much? In this case I feel strongly that this line has been blown out of proportion. The Badgers have plenty of motivation here and are not an easy team to blowout. Wisconsin has revenge against the Spartans as Michigan State has held the upper hand in their meetings in recent seasons including knocking them out in Big Ten tourney action each of the past two years. Last March the Badgers actually had 15 more shots from the field as they dominated in terms of forcing Spartans turnovers. Wisconsin simply had an awful shooting performance and that was the difference in the game as the Badgers lost by a dozen points. Wisconsin enters this game having won 6 of their past 7 games and the lone loss came by a single point. Michigan State, while it is tempting to back them after their ugly loss to the Boilermakers, actually does not have a good history ATS in spots like this. When off an upset loss by a double digit margin in a game in which they were a favorite, the Spartans are a long-term 7-16 ATS including 1-3 ATS in recent seasons. Off an upset loss by 15 or more points as a road favorite, Michigan State has gone 0-4 ATS in their next game! More of the same here. 10* WISCONSIN

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #629 Thursday 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bearcats (+) @ Memphis Tigers @ 7 ET - The Bearcats have won 6 straight meetings between these teams and 8 of the last 9. The lone Cincinnati loss in those 9 games came by a margin of only 4 points. Of course Memphis is highly motivated here as a result but the Tigers will be in an all-out war just to win this game let alone cover the spread. That said, I like the value here with the Bearcats plus the points. Memphis has been struggling on the offensive end and has averaged just 66 points per game in its past 3 games. Cincinnati has averaged 71.5 points per game in its past 6 games. While both teams have been strong defensively this season, the Bearcats have been the better team in the offensive end and the Tigers already have a bit of a "self-doubt complex" when it comes to beating the Cats. They just haven't been able to do it for multiple years now and when a team is pressing to make shots and also feeling the pressure to knock off a team that has been a nemesis, it certainly is not a good combination for success. Memphis is on a 3-7 ATS run in January games. The Bearcats are on an 18-2 SU run in January games and have played the slightly tougher schedule this season in comparison with the Tigers. That said, I'll grab the generous points here. 10* CINCINNATI

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #825 Wednesday 8* Xavier Musketeers (+) @ Marquette Golden Eagles @ 8 ET - On the surface it looks easy to play Marquette at home here. After all, the Musketeers are just 4-3 SU in road games while the Golden Eagles are 8-1 SU in home games. As long-time followers know, these are the exact types of situations where I look to go against the grain and play the other side. The fact is that Marquette is a little vulnerable here off back to back losses and now facing a revenge-minded Musketeers team. Xavier got swept by the Golden Eagles last season. That included an embarrassing 18 point loss here. There has been nothing embarrassing about the Musketeers recent games as a traveler. In their last 4 games away from home Xavier is just 2-2 SU but one loss came by just a bucket and the other loss came by 6 points at Villanova in a game in which they finished just shy of the cover. Xavier is 10-4 ATS the last 14 times they have been a road dog of 6 or less points. Marquette is 1-6 ATS (and SU!) when they enter a game having lost 3 of their last 4 games. The Golden Eagles struggles continue here and, while I expect the outright upset with the Musketeers, I will grab the points for added insurance. 8* XAVIER

ACC Game of the Year - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #791 Wednesday 10* Top Play Virginia Cavaliers (+) @ Florida State Seminoles @ 7 ET - This is a tremendous value spot. The Cavaliers are "off the radar" of most everyone because they have lost back to back games and also people remember them getting blasted at Purdue and also losing by double digits as a double digit home favorite versus South Carolina. However, when this Virginia team is "on" and they bring their "A game" they are still a very tough team to play against. That said, we are getting phenomenal line value here. Keep in mind this is a revenge game for the Cavs because Florida State upset them in March. Virginia had more shots from the field in that game but they simply had a horrible shooting night plus the Seminoles dominated the boards. Note that, already evident this season, the Noles are not so dominant on the boards and the Cavaliers actually have the better rebounding margin on the season entering this game. That said, I feel very strongly that the very hungry Cavs - seeking revenge and off B2B losses - have a great shot at the outright upset. The fact we can get the added insurance of at least a half-dozen points here makes the situation even that much stronger. Keep in mind, the Cavaliers are still the vastly superior defense in this match-up and I foresee FSU having a helluva time trying to put them away. Look for the Cavs to be in this one all the way. Grab the generous points. 10* VIRGINIA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Tuesday 10* Top Play Pittsburgh Panthers (+) vs Louisville Cardinals @ 7 ET - The Cardinals blasted the Panthers by 18 points in Louisville in early December and they rank among the top teams in the nation. That said, it looks easy to simply take the Cards here laying a rather short number on the road. Not so fast my friends. First off, the Cardinals outscored Pittsburgh by 24 points from 3 point land in the first meeting. That was the difference in the game and that type of disparity is highly unlikely to be repeated again tonight as this time the Cards are on the road. Additionally, Louisville has a huge game on deck with Duke! It is hard for the Cardinals to not be peeking ahead at the big match-up with the Blue Devils. That said, I love the home dog value here with a Panthers team that has been playing solid, competitive basketball ever since that blowout loss at Louisville on December 6th. Pitt, prior to a loss at Miami, had won 4 of 5 games and the lone loss came by a margin of only 4 points. The Cardinals are allowing 68 points per game on the road this season. The Panthers are allowing just 60 points per game at home this season. This one will be an all-out war and I don't see Louisville being able to gain much of (if any) margin in this game. Grab the points with the home dog. 10* PITTSBURGH

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #861 Monday 10* Top Play Portland State Vikings (+) @ Montana Grizzlies @ 9 ET - The Vikings have the best player on the floor - Holland "Boo Boo" Woods - and he has been in top current form of late too! Woods just scored a career high 30 points in Portland State's win at Montana State on Saturday and that included a game winner in the final seconds. The Grizzlies are playing this game with revenge as they got swept by the Vikings last season. However, revenge and motivation can only take a team so far. The fact is that Montana lost 4 starters from last season's team. The Vikings are going to be tough to beat here and that means great value with the points. People are buying into the double revenge angle and this line has gone from an early opener of a -5 all the way up to a -7. This means additional value with a dangerous road dog that is playing with a lot of heart right now. Portland State is only 5-4 SU their last 9 games but looking at their past 10 games the Vikings have had only 1 loss in 10 games that came by a margin greater than 6 points. In fact, 2 of Portland State's last 3 losses have come by just a bucket. That means we have excellent underdog value here with the Vikings. They are 6-2 ATS as a road dog this season. Montana is 2-5 ATS this season when off a win and they are off a big win at Eastern Washington as a 5.5 point dog. Look for the Grizzlies pattern of faltering off a win to continue here. 10* PORTLAND STATE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #822 Sunday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers (+) vs Michigan State Spartans @ Noon ET - The Boilermakers are catching the Spartans at the perfect time for an upset. Michigan State comes into this game red hot as they are 5-0 in Big Ten action this season and also on an overall 8-game winning streak. Every other Big Ten team already has at least 2 losses in Big Ten action. One of those Big Ten teams, Wisconsin, is on deck for the Spartans and that makes this a potential trap game for Michigan State. That's because Purdue is better than their recent results would lead you to believe. The Boilermakers have lost 2 straight games and 4 of their last 7 but this is still a team that is 7-1 in home games this season. The Spartans are 1-6 ATS in road games this season. The home team has won each of the last 4 meetings SU and I would not be surprised to see an outright upset here from the home dog. Also note that Michigan State has covered just once in its last six meetings with Purdue! The Boilermakers have won 17 of their past 20 January games and get back on track with a big win here. Grab the points though for added insurance should the fall just short of the outright upset. 10* PURDUE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #677 Saturday 10* Top Play Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles (+) @ UTSA Roadrunners @ 4 ET - This one sets up perfectly in my opinion. I am very aware of the fact that Southern Miss has gotten off to a rough start this season but the Eagles have played a tougher schedule than the Runners. Also, they enter this game off B2B road losses and very hungry. As for UTSA, they are off a huge upset win as the Roadrunners knocked off Louisiana Tech as a 6.5 point dog on Thursday. The Roadrunners won that game by a double digit margin. The Bulldogs team that UTSA just beat is the same one that just blasted the Golden Eagles in back to back meetings. But, as the saying goes, that is why they play the games! In other words, don't be surprised if Southern Mississippi pulls off a shocker here. I like the fact that the Runners opened up an 8.5 and are now a double digit favorite here. The Golden Eagles won both meetings last season. As a general rule, when you go against a team that is now favored by double digits after they are off an upset win by a double digit margin is a VERY strong play. I am grabbing the big dog here and look for UTSA to come out flat in this game. Look for the Runners to struggle just to win this game let alone cover the big spread. 10* SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #838 Friday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes (+) vs Maryland Terrapins @ 7 ET - The Hawkeyes have lost some players they would certainly rather have right now as Jordan Bohannon is out for the season and CJ Fredrick is listed as doubtful for this game. However, Iowa has adequate rest heading into this game and will be able to heavily use the players they do have available and I believe this line was set the way it was (pick'em) with good reason. Since opening up at just a pick it has moved to -2 (and as high as -2.5) on Maryland. However, the Terrapins are ranked #12 in the nation and are healthier than the Hawkeyes and yet the line opened up as a pick'em. Do you think the odds makers are crazy? Of course they are not! This game was priced this way with good reason and I like backing Iowa off back to back tight losses. Also, in terms of meetings with the Terrapins, the Hawkeyes are playing this game with revenge including a 1-point home loss versus Maryland last season. I sense and upset here. Iowa is catching the Terrapins off back to back big wins over Indiana and Ohio State. Also, Maryland has a perceived "tougher game" on deck at Wisconsin. That make this game, especially with the Terrapins off the win over the Buckeyes, a spot with "upset potential" for sure. In true road games this season (not neutral site), Maryland is 0-3 ATS. Also, the Terrapins are 2-6 ATS when off B2B Big Ten wins. When the posted total is in the 140s this season, Iowa is 7-2 SU and ATS. When off a road loss in Big Ten action, the Hawkeyes are 10-5 ATS. All these trends continue here on Friday. 10* IOWA

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #613 Thursday 10* Top Play Purdue Boilermakers (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 7 ET - How often does a team score just 37 points? Not very often of course! Also, how often is a team held below 40 points in a game plus ending up on the wrong end of the scoreboard by a margin of more than 25 points? Even less often of course! I love backing quality teams that are coming off a "loss for the ages" and that is case here for Purdue after they were blasted 63 to 37 at Illinois in their most recent game. Michigan is off a loss too but it is of a different variety. The Wolverines are off a crushing loss at the hands of their biggest rivals, Michigan State, and that sets this one up well. Look for the Boilermakers to come out angry and focused while the Wolverines will still be lamenting their ugly loss to the Spartans, their most hated rivals. Give me the points in a spot like this. In terms of additional situational support, I like the fact that Purdue lost by 19 points at Michigan last season and the fact that this followed the Boilermakers getting bounced from the Big Ten Tourney by the Wolverines the prior season. Double revenge spot here! The Boilers are 5-0 SU the last 5 times they have entered a game off a road loss by a double digit margin. The Wolverines are 0-3 ATS in their last 3 games with a single digit line. Michigan's only impressive victories of late have been in games in which they were favored by 20 or more points. Once again, in a game projected to be a close one, I am happy to go against the Wolverines as they drop to 0-4 ATS their L4 games with a single digit line. 10* PURDUE

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #781 Wednesday 8* St John's Red Storm (+) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 6:30 ET - Both teams are off back to back losses entering this one but the scrappy Red Storm are going to outwork the Hoyas in this one. Additionally, there are some situational edges I like here. St John's lost by double digits at home against Georgetown in their most recent meeting. It is payback time here and the Hoyas are certainly shorthanded compared to the team they were when they began this season. The biggest loss is James Akinjo as he averaged 30 minutes per game and was a significant scorer for Georgetown. However, don't discount the absence of 3 other players for the Hoyas that combined to average a full 40 minutes per game. Also now absent from this team are Josh LeBlanc, Myron Gardner, and Galen Alexander. Even if Georgetown had all hands on deck St John's is still the tougher team defensively and also a little more "hard-nosed" when the chips are down. That said, with each team off back to back losses I like having the Red Storm plus the points and playing with revenge to enjoy a strong game tonight. I expect the upset win but will grab the points as added insurance. 8* ST JOHN'S

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #607 Tuesday 10* Top Play Ohio State Buckeyes (+) @ Maryland Terrapins @ 7 ET - The Buckeyes are off back to back losses and did struggle against Wisconsin in their first game without Kyle Young. However, I fully expect a bounce back effort as they'll be better adjusted in their 2nd game without him. Also, this is a double revenge spot for Ohio State as they lost both games against Maryland last season. The Terrapins are off B2B wins and the Buckeyes are off B2B losses. That sets this one up perfectly. Note that prior to covering their most recent win, the Terps had failed to cover 4 straight games. Ohio State lost both games against Maryland last season by a double digit margin. They haven't forgotten that and the Buckeyes are very hungry here off back to back losses. They catch the Terrapins at the right time for the upset since Maryland is off a big win over Indiana in Big Ten action. The Buckeyes are 1-2 in Big Ten action and the Terrapins 2-1. Time to do something about that here! Both teams are strong defensively but the Buckeyes have been the better shooting team this season and I expect a huge game from them here which means we have strong value with the road dog. 10* OHIO STATE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #864 Monday 10* Top Play Oklahoma State Cowboys (+) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 9 ET - Both teams off losses but, while the Mountaineers are off a tight hard-fought loss to Kansas, the Cowboys are off an absolutely embarrassing beating at Texas Tech. As a result I look for Oklahoma State to be the hungrier team and they will respond very well at home in this match-up. Yes, West Virginia is the ranked team but they are laying a small number in this game in what absolutely looks like a "trap spot" for the Mountaineers. Also, note that West Virginia is actually on a 5-14 SU run in January games. Additionally, the Mountaineers are 0-5 SU when they are off a game in which they were held to 55 points or less! That is the opposite of what you might expect but of course the numbers do not lie. The Cowboys are 8-3 ATS (and SU) when off a loss by a margin of 15 points or more. Big response from the home team here so don't be fooled by the fact that the ranked team is hardly favored here. 10* OKLAHOMA STATE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #835 Sunday 10* Top Play St John's Red Storm (+) @ Xavier Musketeers @ 4:30 ET - The Red Storm have upgraded Mustapha Heron to probable for this game. They are 9-2 in games he has played this season and one of the two losses came by just two points. The senior guard will pay big dividends against Xavier in this match-up. St John's is a scrappy, hard-nosed team that plays solid defense. They are exactly the type of scrappy underdog I like to have in a spot like this catching significant points and with the X-factor (Heron coming back) being included in the situation. The Red Storm won't back down in this game and they catch Xavier off a hard-fought loss to Villanova. The Musketeers may have trouble responding off that loss and this is a team that has been under-performing ATS as they have failed to cover 6 of their past 9 games. The Red Storm have been the much better team ATS this season and the fact that Xavier has won 9 straight meetings between these teams has led to even more line value here as the Musketeers are priced higher than they should be. The underdog goes all out here and gets a boost from Heron and they are in this game all the way to the very end in a game likely decided by just a possession or two when all is said and done. 10* ST JOHN'S

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #650 Saturday 10* Top Play Marquette Golden Eagles (-) vs Villanova Wildcats @ 2 ET - Here is a classic case of contrarian viewpoint which is a big part of my handicapping style. Here you have a ranked team that only has 1 loss on the season and so they look like an easy pick over a unranked team that has 3 losses on the season. Yes, Marquette is at home but they have 3 losses - all by 17 points or more - and Villanova has just one loss this season and it came by a single digit margin. These are the types of games that tend to persuade the majority of bettors to one side and that is most often when I am on the other side. Give me the Golden Eagles at home as they bounce back off an ugly loss at Creighton and they catch the Wildcats off a hard-fought win over Xavier. When Marquette is at home and off an ATS loss they have won SU all 3 times this season. Also, the Wildcats are off B2B hard-fought wins (SU and ATS to the closing numbers) but they had previously lost 6 in a row ATS. Value here on the home team to simply win the game! 10* MARQUETTE

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #874 Friday 10* Top Play Tulsa Golden Hurricane (+) vs Temple Owls @ 9 ET - Not only is Tulsa 3-1 ATS in the last 4 meetings between these teams, one of Temple's SU wins in those 4 meetings came by just a single point. I love the value here with the Golden Hurricane getting nearly 2 buckets at home after this line opened up at a -2. I understand the move as the Owls are off to a great start this season and I have actually backed them multiple times. However, this is the perfect spot to fade them as they are now over-valued. Temple barely snuck by Central Florida for a win on New Year's Eve. Now they are trying to win back to back road games even though they are on shorter rest than Tulsa. Also, note that the Golden Hurricane are extra hungry after a 2-point loss as an 8-point dog in their most recent game. Tulsa is a perfect 4-0 SU and ATS in recent home meetings with Temple. The Owls drop to 0-3 ATS the last 3 times they have been off a loss in which they allowed 61 points or less. The Golden Hurricane improve to 4-1 ATS the last 5 times they have played in a game with a line in the single digits (dog or fave). Look for Tulsa to again thrive as an underdog and also to continue their home dominance of Temple. The Owls have been great on defense this season but the Golden Hurricane also have played well on that end of the floor and plus are shooting 47.6% from the field in home games while Temple is shooting just 38.8% from the field in road games. 10* TULSA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #617 Thursday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) @ Purdue Boilermakers @ 7 ET - The Golden Gophers should have guard Payton Willis back for this game. Whether he plays or not though, I love the big dog value being offered with Minnesota in this one. The Golden Gophers have won each of the last two meetings with Purdue. I know that makes this a revenge game for the Boilermakers but Minnesota is playing very well right now and will be tough to beat in this game. That said, I like the big points being offered. Keep in mind, the Golden Gophers have won 3 straight games and they won all 3 by a double digit margin even though they were an underdog in 2 of the 3 contests! The Boilermakers are just 4-3 SU in their last 7 games and one of those 3 losses was as a double digit favorite. Minnesota has been the better shooting team this season. Purdue has the better defensive numbers on the season but the edge there is not huge. Plus the Boilermakers have allowed 70 points in 2 of their last 3 games. The Gophers have allowed 66 points or less in 5 of their past 8 games. 10* MINNESOTA

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #828 Wednesday 10* Top Play SMU Mustangs (-) vs South Florida Bulls @ 5 ET - The Bulls leading scorer is David Collins and he missed their most recent game. Though I do expect the junior guard to be back for this game, he will not be 100% as his ankle has been bothering him. The Mustangs are the better shooting team and the better team defensively and they are at home here. Though Southern Methodist won the most recent match-up between these teams they did lose their most recent home game versus South Florida by a single point last season. They haven't forgotten that and are seeking revenge here. I like the fact that the Mustangs have been so strong defensively and the only reason that their recent win against Georgia State was as close (9 points) as it was related to the fact that the Panthers kept hitting late threes. Overall SMU does a very good job defending the 3. By the way, Southern Methodist hitting close to 80% from the free throw line while USF is hitting just 60% from the free throw line. Look for the Mustangs to pull away as this one goes on. 10* SMU

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #793 Tuesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (-) @ UCF Knights @ 2 ET - After a long layoff, first game in 10 days for each team, the importance of defense is even greater as both teams are likely to struggle to find their shooting rhythm early on. That said, I look for the Owls to prevail in this one. They have lost recent visits to UCF as this series continues to be dominated by the host. However, this looks like the ideal spot for Temple to break that streak. The Owls have responded very well under new head coach Aaron McKie. Additionally, Temple is the much better defense in this match-up. They are allowing just 62 points per game on 36% shooting and only 28% from beyond the arc. The Knights are actually allowing 68 points per game in home games this season. Also, Central Florida has allowed 42% shooting including 32% from 3-point land in home games this season. Those are still solid numbers but the Owls hold the edge as you can see and they have really bought into McKie's system following the retirement of long time head coach Fran Dunphy. Crazy stats have cost the Owls in their last two visits to UCF. Last season saw the Knights hit a ridiculous 60% from the field and the prior season's match-up at Central Florida saw the Owls shoot only 32% from the field. It is no wonder that Temple lost both those games and they make up for it in this visit as the Knights are still trying to get over a 1-point loss at Oklahoma prior to their Christmas break. 10* TEMPLE

TV Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #725 Monday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (+) @ Villanova Wildcats @ 6:30 ET - Revenge game for Xavier. I am well aware of the fact that Villanova has had their number in recent meetings and that this is particularly true when the Wildcats have the home court edge. However, the Musketeers have just two losses this season and each were by 5 or less points and Villanova is truly not quite as strong this season as they have been in other recent seasons. Remember the Wildcats have already been blasted by Ohio State this seasons and they lost by 9 points to Baylor. I project Villanova to have their hands full here with a Xavier team seeking revenge for a mid-March loss to the Wildcats. The Musketeers covered that game as they lost by just 4 as a 7 point dog. I look for the outright upset here but if Xavier does again fall just short look for it to be by just a bucket. Grab the points. The Musketeers catch the Wildcats off their big win over Kansas prior to Christmas. Prior to that victory Villanova had lost 6 straight games ATS. The ATS losing pattern resumes here for the Cats. 10* XAVIER

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #679 Sunday 10* Top Play Arkansas Razorbacks (+) @ Indiana Hoosiers @ 6 ET - The Razorbacks are playing this game with revenge from a March Madness loss to the Hoosiers. These teams met in the regular season last year too. Both games were decided by 3 or less points and the average margin of the 2 games was just 2 points. I like the value here with this line now spiking up to 5.5 points. The Razorbacks not have revenge here, their defense has been fantastic this season. Arkansas is allowing just 59.5 points per game and only 21.8% from three point land! I am going to grab the points here with the revenge-minded Razorbacks as their strong defense leads the way to victory here. I am expecting the SU outright upset but if Arkansas does fall short look for it again be a game decided by 3 or less points. The Razorbacks are a long-term 11-2 ATS when playing with 7 or more days of rest between games. Hoosiers are off a tight win over Notre Dame as a small favorite in their most recent game. Indiana is a long-term 9-18 ATS in games against SEC opponents. 10* ARKANSAS

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #629 Saturday 10* Top Play Louisville Cardinals (+) @ Kentucky Wildcats @ 3:45 ET - The Wildcats are at home and have dominated this series in recent seasons. Kentucky has won the last two games by an average margin of 21 points per game. Yet the line on this one, even though it is being played in Lexington, was a pick'em. As expected, everyone piling on UK here and the line is up to a -2. In typical contrarian fashion, I am on the other side of the move. The Cardinals are the better team so far this season and I expect that to play out as such on Saturday afternoon. Kentucky is off back to back losses while the Cards have just one loss this entire season. Louisville has been the better team on defense this season and they also have been the better shooting team including much better from three point land. The Cardinals have been hot ATS and they are 9-3 ATS the last dozen time they have entered a game having covered 4 of their last 5 games. That is the situation here and I expect another ATS cover to come via an outright upset in this game. Look for the Cards to knock off a Wildcats team which has a history of poor ATS performances in a situation like this. Kentucky drops to a long-term 4-8 ATS when entering a game off B2B close losses (by a margin of 6 or less points). 10* LOUISVILLE

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #826 Wednesday 10* Top Play Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (+) vs Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets @ 6:30 ET - The Yellow Jackets could have some trouble with motivation here and I love fading the line move in this one as the Rainbow Warriors have gone from being the favorite to being the dog in this one. Keep in mind Georgia Tech came here to win this tourney not to be playing for 3rd place. As for Hawaii, this is nothing new. They have NEVER played in the Championship Game of this tournament which has been going for a bout a decade now. But Hawaii has won 3rd place twice in recent seasons (2014 and 2015). In other words, they are at home and playing for pride on their home floor and have proven in the past that they can get up for a game like this. I also love the fact that the Warriors shot horrifically bad in their their loss to a ranked Washington team on Monday. That is why Hawaii lost the game by 11 points despite having 22 more shots from the field than the Huskies had! Sometimes crazy things happen in these games and the key to capitalizing is to catch the "rebound effect". In this case look for the Warriors to "bounce back" after that unusually bad shooting night on their home floor. I know that Georgia Tech has played the tougher schedule this season but the situational edges for Hawaii are the key to the value in this one. I don't see the Warriors being denied. They had won 7 of 9 before the loss to Washington. The Jackets have lost 4 of their past 5 games and all 4 defeats have come by a double digit margin. Motivated home team is the play here and they earn 3rd place for the 3rd time in the past 6 Christmas tournaments. 10* HAWAII

Situational Slaughter - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #808 Monday 10* Top Play SMU Mustangs (-) vs Georgia State Panthers @ 7 ET - The Mustangs are off a double OT loss at Georgia but they dominated the rebounds, had less turnovers, and had more field goal attempts than the Bulldogs. This SMU team is a high-quality team but off back to back losses. They have had two days to recuperate since the loss at Georgia and this is their final game until the new year. The Mustangs want to make the most of this and certainly don't want to wrap up 2019 on a 3-game losing streak. SMU has a very strong frontcourt while that is the weak area for the Georgia State team they are facing. I look for the hungry Mustangs to be very aggressive here and I look for them to dominate the glass. The Panthers are a little over-rated right now because they are off to a hot start but they are on short rest here as they hosted Texas State on Saturday. While the Mustangs are playing just their 2nd game in a span of 16 days, Georgia State is playing its 3rd game in 5 days. Big situational edge for Southern Methodist University and I look for them to dominate and win this home game by at least a dozen points. The Panthers are a good team but they are still a middle of the pack SunBelt Conference team and the Mustangs are very hungry and at home in this one. Georgia State drops to 1-4 ATS when off a game against a conference foe in which they scored 80 or more points. The Mustangs improve to 5-0 ATS when off a game in which they allowed 85 or more points. 10* SMU

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #787 Sunday 10* Top Play Xavier Musketeers (+) @ TCU Horned Frogs @ 5 ET - The Musketeers are the stronger team and are expected to have leading scorer Naji Marshall back for this one after he missed their previous game. The Horned Frogs are a little over-rated right now as they have played a much weaker schedule in comparison with Xavier. I had the Musketeers as a Top 25 team entering this season. As for TCU, they came into this season projected to be at the bottom of the Big 12 standings this season. The Horned Frogs are off to a strong start this season but it is because of their schedule. The only two times TCU has had a single-digit line this season they lost both games outright! Every other game this season Texas Christian has been favored by a dozen or more. The Musketeers, on the other hand, have played 5 games with a single digit line this season and have won 3 of them. The other two games were the only 2 losses that Xavier has this season and each defeat came by 5 or less points. As a road dog of 6 or less points the Musketeers are on a 9-3 ATS run including a perfect 3-0 ATS run the last 3 time they have been a road dog of 3 or less points. TCU faced Lamar over a week ago so they could be a bit rusty. Lamar is not a good team so it is not a big surprised that the Horned Frogs held them to just 50 points. Note that Texas Christian is a long-term 20-40 ATS including a long-term 0-3 ATS in recent seasons when they are off a game in which they allowed 55 points or less. 10* XAVIER

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #843 Friday 10* Top Play SMU Mustangs (+) @ Georgia Bulldogs @ 7 ET - The Mustangs were 8-0 SU on the season and allowing an average of only 59.6 points per game on the season. They then faced Georgetown in a game in which the Hoyas were hitting everything in sight. It simply did not matter what SMU did, Georgetown was on fire in that game including hitting 14 of 27 three pointers. These types of games happen from time to time. But the point is that Southern Methodist is a great defensive team and they are in bounce back mode here and I am happy to take the points and go against Georgia in this one. The Bulldogs are also off an ugly loss. However, Georgia is a much different team from the Mustangs. The Bulldogs don't focus much on the defensive end. In fact, Georgia has had just two games this season in which they've allowed less than 72 points in game. In their other 7 games they have allowed an average of 80.7 points per game. SMU is allowing just 38.6% from the field this season while the Bulldogs are allowing 45.4% from the field. Also, the Mustangs are the much better team in terms of defending the arc. SMU also shoots the 3-ball better and is much better at the free thrown line (79%) than the Bulldogs (67%). I am going with the defensive-minded road dog in this one. Also, they have only had leading scorer and leading assist man Kendric Davis for the past 5 games. The Bulldogs have been without Amanze Ngumezi for the past two games due to suspension. He is not a star for Georgia but he is a key rotation player. Mustangs getting stronger, Bulldogs getting weaker. Give me the hungry dog. 10* SMU

Early Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #704 Thursday 10* Top Play St Joseph's Hawks (+) vs William & Mary Tribe @ 7 ET - Set-ups don't get much better than this one. Yes the Hawks have struggled this season but the Tribe come into this game over-rated and the situation here strongly favors St Joseph's. The Hawks are off an embarrassing 108 to 61 loss at Temple on the 10th. Looking at that score it seems hard to believe but it is true that St Joseph's had just as many field goal attempts in the game as did the Owls. The problem was that Temple made twice as many shots as the Hawks! That said, after that horrific loss and knowing that this is their only game between the 10th of December and 2nd of January, St Joseph's is going to make the most of this opportunity which is also their only home game in a span of 4 weeks! The Hawks don't want to go into this winter break period on a 9-game losing streak. Yes it has been a rough start to the season for St Joseph's with the coaching change and player losses from last season but they have played a much tougher schedule than William & Mary. The Tribe enter this game off a huge 90-30 win over Goucher. Of course there is a reason you have never heard of Goucher! Overall William & Mary has a great record this season but they entered the season projected to be one of the worst teams in the Colonial Athletic Association and certainly the Atlantic Ten is the tougher conference. Last season these teams met at William & Mary and the Hawks led by 14 at the half but ended up losing a heartbreaker. It is payback time here. Off a home win by a double digit margin the Tribe are just 5-8 SU their last 13 and here they are laying points on the road too. As for the Hawks, they are 4-1 ATS after allowing 90 points or more and also 8-3 SU and ATS when off a road loss by a double digit margin. Bounce back time and payback time for the home team! 10* ST JOSEPH'S

TV Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #660 Wednesday 10* Top Play Cincinnati Bearcats (+) vs Tennessee Volunteers @ 7 ET - Everyone jumping on Tennessee here as they are a ranked team and coming off a big season plus they enter this game off a loss. Additionally, Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes is in search of his 700th victory. The Bearcats don't want that happening on their home floor and I love home dogs in a spot like this. Look for the Cats to scratch and claw their way to victory in this one. Cincinnati is 4-1 at home this season. Tennessee is playing their first true road game of the season. All the Vols other games were at home or at a neutral site. On the season the Bearcats have faced a tougher schedule and the Volunteers are a highly regarded team but enter this game having lost 2 of 4 and one of the two wins was by the slimmest of margins. I look for UC, off back to back losses including an embarrassing one as a double digit favorite against Colgate, to bounce back strong here on their home floor and get a big win. They returned more starter this season than did the Vols and this is the type of game - especially since they are at home - where I expect Jarron Cumberland to step up and have a huge game. He has struggled in head coach's John Brannen first season with the Cats but watch him come up big at home in a game like this. The Volunteers are on a 1-4 ATS run. I know the Bearcats are on an ugly ATS run too BUT this is still a team that is 18-2 SU in their last 20 home games. I love having them on their home floor as an underdog in a game in which they will absolutely be amped up and ready to go! Off back to back losses, the Cats come out fighting in this one and they do have the size edge in the paint too. They win the front court battles and Cumberland and company come up big on the wings also! 10* CINCINNATI

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #804 Sunday 10* Top Play Minnesota Golden Gophers (+) vs Ohio State Buckeyes @ 6:30 ET - The Buckeyes have been red hot but the Golden Gophers are also a much better team than they showed in their Big Ten opener on the road at Iowa. With this game being at home for Minnesota and with Ohio State possibly being rusty after not playing at all since the 7th, the Golden Gophers could surprise here. Minnesota also has revenge from losing last season at Ohio State and also losing to the Buckeyes in a neutral site game the prior season. The Golden Gophers have played the tougher schedule in comparison with Ohio State early this season. The Buckeyes are 0-3 SU and ATS in a road game with a posted total in the 120s and the fact the odds makers set such a low total here confirms the fact that Minnesota is expected to turn up the heat on defense in their own barn here on Sunday. The Golden Gophers are 5-1 ATS when off a road loss in which they were held under 60 points. I know it may seem tough to fade a streak Ohio State team but with a little rust on their part after the layoff coupled with an intense effort from the hungry dog here, I look for this one to go down to the wire! That means we have great value with having the points on our side here. 10* MINNESOTA

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #763 Saturday 10* Top Play Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens vs Villanova Wildcats @ 2 ET in the Never Forget Tribute Classic @ Newark, NJ - The Blue Hens entered this season needing to be a much better defensively and they've accomplished that goal. Granted they have faced a light schedule early this season but they had won 9 straight games before finally losing to George Washington last Saturday. Delaware is allowing just 63.3 points per game and holding opponents to 39.5% from the field. Granted, the Fightin' Blue Hens will most certainly have their hands full with a top notch opponent like Villanova but I foresee their solid defense helping to turn this game into a bit of a grinder. The Wildcats are on an 0-5 ATS run and none of those games were decided by more than a dozen points. Even the one decided by 12 points was a deceiving final score as the game was tight in the final minutes before Nova finally pulled away. The team chemistry has been fantastic for the Hens this season and they are excited about this opportunity and view it as a challenge to compete against top level competition. The way Delaware has been playing early this season and the fact they are coming off a loss, I look for a very strong effort from the big dog in this one. The Wildcats get the win but I see it coming by a single digit margin as they have bigger fish to fry. In fact the Cats next game will be against Kansas. This is a "win and move on" type game for Villanova and they are being overvalued by the betting markets here as this line has already moved up from a 13 to a 14.5 in early trading. 10* DELAWARE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #636 Wednesday 10* Top Play Rutgers Scarlet Knights (-) vs Wisconsin Badgers @ 7 ET - Nice set up here with the Badgers off a huge 20 point win versus Indiana and the Scarlet Knights off a tough loss by a dozen at Michigan State. Note that Wisconsin has been great at home this season but has struggled (0-4 SU) in games played on the road or at a neutral site. This game is being played at Rutgers and that is noteworthy not only because of the Badgers struggles away from Madison, also note that the Scarlet Knights are a perfect 6-0 in home games this season. The home/road dichotomy is too strong to ignore here as we can lay a very small number with Rutgers whom had won 6 of 7 games this season before back to back losses (both on the road). The Badgers had lost 3 straight games before their huge win over the Hoosiers. Last season Wisconsin beat the Scarlet Knights by 5 but they were at home for that game and Rutgers actually led the game by 5 at the half. Now it is payback time for the Scarlet Knights and I expect them to take care of business on their home floor. 10* RUTGERS

TV Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Tuesday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (-) vs St Joseph's Hawks @ 7 ET - The Hawks have been hurt by the loss of Taylor Funk to a hand injury as he was their leading returning scorer for this season. St Joseph's was already considering a "work in progress" for this season before he got hurt and their overall numbers are living up to the sub-par billing. The Hawks enter this game on a 7-game losing streak and each of the last 4 losses have come by at least a dozen points. Ironically that is also what this line has dropped to this morning as Temple has gone from being a 15-point favorite to a 12-point choice. I am backing the favorite here as head coach Aaron McKie has had the Owls firing on all cylinders early this season. That all came to a grinding halt however with a double digit loss to Missouri in Temple's most recent game. The Owls are still 6-2 on the season and their other loss came against Maryland, a highly ranked team. I look for Temple to take advantage of St Joe's being in a down cycle right now and the Owls are in need of a blowout win after losing by 10 to the Tigers even though they favored in the game. It was a rare hiccup for the Owls who entered that game having allowed only 56.7 points per game in their 6 wins this season. That great number in terms of defensive play certainly holds significance here as Temple is facing a St Joseph's team that has allowed 70 points or more in all 10 of their games this season. In fact the Hawks are allowing an average of 80 points per game on the season. The Owls take advantage and win this Big Five game in Philly (part of the annual Philadelphia Big Five battle) in an absolute rout. 10* TEMPLE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #739 Sunday 10* Top Play North Carolina Tar Heels (+) @ Virginia Cavaliers @ 4 ET - It looks easy to take the Cavaliers here so, in typical contrarian fashion, I am on the Tar Heels in this one! Virginia is at home and has won each of the last 3 meetings between these teams and plus the Cavs are laying a short number here. That will have people looking to line up on the defensive-minded host in this one. However, I am expecting North Carolina to say "enough is enough" and come up with a huge game here. The Tar Heels have faced the tougher schedule early this season so we are getting some line value in this one in that regard. Also, the Cavaliers could have a little bit of unbeaten letdown here as they were 7-0 on the season before getting absolutely demolished by Purdue by 29 points! The Cavs are averaging just 53 points on the season. The Heels are also off an ugly loss in which they did not score well. However, prior to that defeat, UNC had scored 75 points or more in 6 of their first 7 games this season. The Cavaliers are on an 0-6 ATS run and I expect that streak to reach 7 straight ATS losses here in a game in which an outright upset for the revenge-minded road team would certainly not be a surprise. Roy Williams and the Tar Heels are highly motivated here against Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers. I feel that Virginia is going to be caught reeling a bit here and doubting themselves in terms of ability to be able to score enough here. They have always relied on defense but their offense has been a little too ugly this season to get past a team like this. Look for the Tar Heels to get it done here. 10* NORTH CAROLINA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #733 Saturday 10* Top Play Penn State Nittany Lions (+) @ Ohio State Buckeyes @ Noon ET - The Buckeyes are undefeated this season, at home, and ranked very high. All the pressure is on Ohio State here. Also, the Buckeyes are off a huge win over North Carolina on Wednesday night. This is a tough spot for Ohio State now as they take on a Penn State team that very quietly has also been playing a lot of ultra impressive defense and is going to be tough for the Buckeyes to pull away from in this game. Also, the Nittany Lions have been enjoying great success in recent meetings between these teams but did fall just short here last year. That makes this a revenge game for Penn State as they lost to the Buckeyes last season despite taking 16 more shots from the field in that game! It was simply "one of those nights" and yet PSU still lost the game by only 4 points. Look for a similar result here as the scrappy Nittany Lions have a great shot at the outright upset here. If they do fall short expect it only be by a bucket or two. The Buckeyes are on a great ATS run this season but they can't keep hitting the high percentage of shots they have been and the Nittany Lions come into this one having played great defense this season too! 10* PENN STATE

Game of the Week - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #615 Friday 10* Top Play Iowa Hawkeyes (+) @ Michigan Wolverines @ 6:30 ET - Many will be looking for the Wolverines to bounce back here after their ugly 58-43 loss at the hands of Louisville. Indeed a bounce back may be on tap for Michigan here at home but I don't see them covering this large spread. This is a revenge game for Iowa as they lost by 21 points in tournament action against the Wolverines in March. The Hawkeyes were outscored by 27 points from beyond the arc in that game as they made just 1 of 16 three pointers. In other words, inside the arc in that game Iowa actually won the game by 6 points! I am not necessarily forecasting an outright win here but I certainly wouldn't be shocked if the Hawkeyes do catch Michigan suffering from some unbeaten letdown here after the loss to the Cardinals. Iowa is a solid 6-2 SU and ATS this season and they have the talent level and coaching experience edge here to keep up with the highly talented Wolverines. Note that prior to the loss in March, the Hawkeyes had defeated Michigan in the regular season. Prior to that game the Wolverines had been on a winning streak in this series but 2 of the last 3 Iowa losses came by 7 points or less. Michigan is a little over-valued right now because they have hit 40% three pointers this season and opponents have hit only 59% of their free throws this season. Those two stats that certainly won't continue all season long have combined to give extra shading toward Michigan from the betting markets. I'll gladly step in on the other side here and grab the big points with the Hawkeyes. 10* IOWA

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #604 Thursday 10* Top Play North Texas Mean Green (+) vs Oklahoma Sooners @ 8 ET - This game is being played at The Super Pit as North Texas is the host for this one. That is certainly noteworthy as Oklahoma is just 7-16 SU in their last 23 lined road games. The Sooners not only are being asked to win this game but also by a margin of as high as 6.5 points after the early morning line move with this one and I just don't see that happening. I look for the layoff to hurt OU as they haven't played in over a week and the Sooners are just 3-3 SU the past two years when they enter a game with 7 or more days of rest between games. This line is currently settling back in at a -6 and the Sooners are 2-5 ATS in road games in which their line ranges from a pick'em to a -6. The Mean Green are on an 11-2 SU and 9-3 ATS run in December games. North Texas is a scrappy team that plays well together as a unit. In other words, it is not about individual stars but just that they've put together a good combination of players that mesh well together. The fact the Mean Green are just 3-5 SU this season is because of facing a very tough schedule and this situation favors them well. They just knocked off UT-Arlington outright as an underdog Sunday and they carry that momentum from the road on back home for this game. North Texas is on a 28-11 SU run in home games the past 2+ seasons. Look for the Mean Green to improve to 20-10 ATS when off a game in which they were an underdog. Back to back underdog spots and I am expecting back to back outright SU wins but will grab the points here for added insurance. 10* NORTH TEXAS

PA Insider - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #808 Wednesday 10* Top Play Villanova Wildcats (-) vs Pennsylvania Quakers @ 6:30 ET - This is part of The Big Five in Philadelphia and the other teams are LaSalle, St Joseph's, and Temple. Last year the Quakers upset the Wildcats and that ended a 25-game winning streak for Villanova in Big Five games. It also allowed Pennsylvania to win the Big Five Championship for the 2018-19 season. These teams come from different conferences, etc but the City of Philadelphia embraces the rivalries the "Big Five" has created and this "unofficial" Big Five city championship series extends back to the mid-fifties! It means a lot to these schools and I look for Villanova to get a big dose of payback on their home floor in this game. Yes the Wildcats have losses to Ohio State and Baylor this season but this is a strong Villanova team that will get even stronger as the season goes on. They were ahead by 20 points against LaSalle at halftime Sunday and then only won the game by 11 points as they allowed the Explorers to make a few runs in the second half. Considering what happened at Penn last season I don't look for the Cats to be so generous in the second half here. Look for Villanova to put their foots on the throats of the Quakers early and never take their foot off the gas. Pennsylvania, an Ivy League school, has a long break from basketball coming up because of semester final exams. However, they still enter this game at a disadvantage as they just got back from a West Coast trip while Nova was already at home facing LaSalle this past weekend. The last time the Wildcats hosted the Quakers they won by 28 points. I am expecting another huge win in this revenge game. Penn is a scrappy and respectable team but there is a talent disparity here and the Wildcats are highly motivated. I don't often lay big points but this is one of the rare exceptions due to the great situational value. 10* VILLANOVA

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #721 Monday 10* Top Play Columbia Lions (+) @ Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens @ 7 ET - Delaware is off to a fantastic start this season as they remain undefeated at 8-0 SU plus they are at home for this game and hosting a 3-5 Columbia team. However, as per usual, there is more than meets the eye in this game. First off the Lions have played a tougher schedule than the Fightin' Blue Hens have. Additionally, this is a revenge game from last season when Columbia lost in double OT by a single point. Most of the big scoring production for Delaware (3 guys that each scored 20 or more) are gone from the team. That said, even though the Blue Hens are off to a great start this season, this is likely to be a very tough game for them and star point guard Mike Smith and the Lions are off a win and will use that as momentum heading into this revenge game. Smith has been fantastic early this season after an injury greatly impacted last season's campaign. I like having the points here in this revenge match-up as the strength of schedule comes into play here and I feel that it is with a good reasoning from the odds makers that the Blue Hens opened up as only a 6 point choice here even though they are undefeated and facing a team with a losing record. I sense an upset here and if the Lions do fall short it will be by just a bucket or two in my opinion. 10* COLUMBIA

ESPN Smash Pass - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #693 Sunday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (-) vs Davidson Wildcats @ 4 ET in Orlando, FL - I used the Owls against Maryland earlier in this tournament and got the cover as Temple nearly got the upset too. The Owls are playing very well under new head coach Aaron McKie this season and they have covered 3 straight games and are 5-1 SU on the season. While Temple has been playing solid defense, the Wildcats are not. The Owls are allowing just 35% from the field this season while Davidson has allowed 46.6% from the field this season. The Wildcats have played a tougher schedule but only slightly more arduous and Temple's defensive numbers certainly aren't "slightly" better, they are much better. Davidson has failed to cover 5 of 7 games this season as they just haven't been able to get it done on the defensive end of the floor in the majority of their games this season. 10* TEMPLE

Daytime Dominator - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #607 Saturday 10* Top Play UNC Greensboro Spartans (+) @ Georgetown Hoyas @ 2 ET - The Spartans have just 2 losses on the season. One w was by a single point and the other was by a dozen points but came against one of the best teams, Kansas, in the nation. UNC Greensboro was down by just 10 with under 4 minutes to go in that game. Thanks to having a fantastic point guard in Miller and playing strong overall defense (something the Hoyas struggle to do), the Spartans absolutely are capable of an upset win here at Georgetown. The Hoyas are allowing 76 points per game this season while Greensboro is allowing just 54 points per game game. Yes Georgetown has played a tougher overall schedule but still there is a big difference between the way these teams tend to play on the defensive end of the floor. The Spartans are off an ATS loss but have not had back to back ATS losses this season. The Hoyas are off back to back covers but had started the season 0-4 ATS. Look for the road team to hang tough in this one all the way through as they have a solid 7-man playing rotation and this is a team that won 25 games last season! Small school, but strong school! 10* UNC GREENSBORO

Earliest Cash - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #762 Thursday 10* Top Play Temple Owls (+) vs Maryland Terrapins @ 11 AM ET - Both teams are undefeated early this season and certainly the #5 ranked Terrapins are the better overall team. Of course that is why they're a large favorite in this neutral site game played in Florida as part of the Orlando Invitational on this Thanksgiving weekend. Don't be surprised if the Owls give Maryland all they can handle here however. Temple is off a big upset win at USC in which the Owls won by 9 as a 9 point underdog. They are responding well under head coach Aaron McKie. The Philly native was an assistant coach under Fran Dunphy and has this team playing very well early this season. The key is defense and work ethic - on the boards and elsewhere. Even when the Owls are at a size disadvantage (like they were against the Trojans) they are scrappy and work hard to get rebounds and loose balls. Temple is one of the top teams in the nation early this season in steals per game and they are going to challenge Maryland here. Yes the Terps have won all their games by double digits early this season but this will be their toughest test yet. Maryland is on a 2-5 ATS run the last 7 times they have been a neutral court favorite. The Owls got a boost in confidence with their win at Southern Cal last weekend and they are 8-4 ATS when off a road win and also 5-2 ATS when a neutral court underdog of 9.5 to 12 points. 10* TEMPLE

Game of the Month - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #751 Wednesday 10* Top Play Wichita State Shockers (+) vs West Virginia Mountaineers @ 8:30 PM ET in Championship Game of Riviera Division in the Cancun Challenge in Mexico - Both teams undefeated on the season but while the Shockers coasted to victory in their win over South Carolina yesterday, the Mountaineers were absolutely pushed to the limit in their win over Northern Iowa yesterday. In fact, West Virginia was actually down 15 points in the second half of that game before they went on a major rally! With under a minute and a half to go the Mountaineers were still down but they ended the game on a 7-0 run to get the win. Wichita State forced 19 turnovers in their win yesterday and completely disrupted the Gamecocks all game long. They will look for similar results here against the Mountaineers. In this tough back to back situation, the Shockers are certainly the more rested team physically based on the way their blowout win played out against South Carolina. While the Shockers have failed to cover just 4 times in their last 13 games, West Virginia has 4 ATS losses in its past 6 games. Situational value here and coach Greg Marshall's team is on a mission in this tourney and they proved that with the way the manhandled the Gamecocks yesterday. This Shockers team currently firing on all cylinders on both ends of the floor. 10* WICHITA STATE

Afternoon Annihilation - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #609 Saturday 10* Top Play Yale Bulldogs (+) @ Penn State Nittany Lions @ 4 ET - The Bulldogs lost 4 starters coming into this season but they are already exceeding early season expectations. That's because Yale has a strong foundation with its program and guys who were coming off the bench last season are now taking over key roles and they are performing extremely well. The Bulldogs are 3-2 this season and the two losses came at San Francisco and at Oklahoma State. They lost by just 5 as a 4.5 dog to SF and they lost by just 7 as a 13 point dog to OSU. The Bulldogs can hang tough here with Penn State. The Nittany Lions are simply getting a little too much love here from the betting markets. This line opened up at a 14.5 and has risen to a 16 as of this morning. Penn State, of course, is a Big Ten team but they're certainly not the upper echelon of the conference and the Bulldogs are a top team in the Ivy. Now I am not staying Yale wins this game, of course not. I am just saying I believe they will keep this loss in single digit territory just like they did against a tough Cowboys team on the road. The Nittany Lions only tough test so far this season was at Georgetown but the Hoyas are very bad on the defensive end. The Bulldogs will prove to be a stiffer challenge and the rest of the Lions early season schedule has been very light. Grab the big points here. 10* YALE

Contrarian Crusher - Rickenbach CBB Rotation #788 Thursday 10* Top Play Indiana State Sycamores (+) vs Duquesne Dukes @ 6:30 ET - Everyone is on the Dukes here so you know where my money is going to go. In typical contrarian fashion I am fading the move and going with the Sycamores here. It stands to reason that everyone is loving laying the number here with a 3-0 Duquesne team against an 0-3 Indiana State team. However, lets not forget that the Sycamores have played a tougher schedule this season. Their most recent game was against a respectable MAC program, Ball State, and the Sycamores two prior games were against Dayton and Louisville! The Dukes have been battling it out with the likes of Princeton, Lamar, and Lipscomb. I feel that the markets aren't properly evaluating that aspect of this match-up and I am looking for Indiana State to view this tourney in the Bahamas as a new beginning. They'll immediately put that 0-3 start in the rear view mirror with full focus on this tournament. Keep in mind the Sycamores were a dog in all 3 of their games to begin this season while Duquesne was a favorite in all three of theirs. Also, both teams returned 4 starters this season. Look for this game to be a battle all the way to the final horn which means we've got great value with the generous points being offered here. 10* INDIANA STATE